The aim of this article is to present the effects of transpiration on the unsteady two-dimensional boundary layer flow of non-Newtonian fluid passing through a stretching sheet in the presence of a first order constructive/destructive chemical reaction. The upper-convected Maxwell (UCM) model is used here to characterize the non-Newtonian behavior of the fluid. Using similarity solutions, the governing nonlinear partial differential equations are transformed into ordinary ones and are then solved numerically by the shooting method. The flow fields and mass transfer are significantly influenced by the governing parameters. The fluid velocity initially decreases as the unsteadiness parameter increases and the concentration decreases significantly due to the increase in the unsteadiness. The effect of increasing values of transpiration (suction) and the Maxwell parameter is to suppress the velocity field; however, the concentration is enhanced as transpiration (suction) and the Maxwell parameter increase. Also, it is found that the fluid velocity decreases as the magnetic parameter increases; however, the concentration increases in this case.