The kinetics of the reactions of CN radicals with several small primary alcohol molecules were studied by transient infrared laser absorption spectroscopy. Direct time-resolved detection of CN was used to determine total rate constants. In addition, HCN and DCN products were detected in order to estimate the branching ratios of the CN + CH3OH reaction. We find that abstraction of an alkyl hydrogen atom dominates the CN + CH3OH reaction, but a small, similar to 8% yield of hydroxyl hydrogen abstraction is also observed. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.