In the introduction section background into the subject of combustion chemistry is presented. The topics included are combustion mechanisms, combustion pollutants, and infrared absorption spectroscopy. Chapter two describes experiments that probe the kinetics of the reactions of CN radicals with several small primary alcohols, as well as the product channels of the reaction between the CN radical and methanol. It was found that all studied reactions were fast, and that CN preferentially abstracts the methyl hydrogen from methanol. Chapter three describes a study of the product channels of the reaction of the hydroxymethyl radical with nitric oxide. It was found that the primary product was the adduct, with minor channels yielding isocyanic acid and nitroxyl radicals.