A laser photolysis reactor that uses cavity ring-down spectroscopic (CRDS) detection was characterized and used to measure the rate coefficients of three benchmark reactions of known importance to ethane oxidation. At 295 K and approximately 700 Pa (5.5 Torr) total pressure, we obtained the self-reaction rate coefficients of k = (1.99 +/- 0.44) x 10(-11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) for C2H5 + C2H5 and k = (7.26 +/- 2.4) x 10(-14) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) for C2H5O2 + C2H5O2 We obtained k = (2.7 +/- 0.3) x 10(-12) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) for the pseudo-first-order association reaction O-2 + C2H5 + AT We also measured the absorption cross sections of the ethyl radical, sigma(220) = (252 +/- 42) x 10(-20) cm(2) molecule(-1) and sigma(222) 2 (206 +/- 42) x 10(-20) cm(2) molecule(-1) Stated uncertainties are 2 sigma. The new rate coefficients agree with those obtained previously by other methods. The agreement confirms that ultraviolet CRDS detection is a viable tool for experimental determinations of gas-phase radical-radical and radical-molecule reaction late coefficients.