The products, kinetics, and mechanism of the reaction Cl + 3-pentanone have been measured by UV irradiation of Cl(2)/3-pentanone/N(2) (O(2)) mixtures using primarily GC analysis with selected cross checks by FTIR. In the absence of O(2), the products are 1- and 2-chloro-3-pentanone with yields of 21 and 78%, respectively. As the temperature is increased, the yield of 1-chloro-3-pentanone increases modestly relative to the 2-chloro-3-pentanone yield. On the basis of this increase, the activation energy for hydrogen abstraction at the 1 position is determined to be 500 (+/-500) cal mole(-1) relative to abstraction at the 2 position. In the presence of 500 ppm of O(2) with 900-1000 ppm of Cl(2) at 297 K, the yield of 2-chloro-3-pentanone decreases dramatically from 78 to 2.5%, while the 1-chloro-3-pentanone decreases only modestly from 21 to 17%. The observed oxygenated species are acetaldehyde (59%), 2,3-pentanedione (9%), and propionyl chloride (56%). Increasing the temperature to 420 K (O(2) = 500 ppm) suppresses these oxygenated products, and 2-chloro-3-pentanone again becomes the primary product, indicating that the O(2) addition reaction to the 2-pentanonyl radical has become reversible. At 500 K and 10 000 ppm O(2), a new product channel opens which forms a small yield ( approximately 4%) of ethylvinylketone. Computer modeling of the product yields has been performed to gain an understanding of the overall reaction mechanism in the presence and absence of O(2). The reaction of chlorine atoms with 3-pentanone proceeds with a rate constant of 8.1 (+/-0.8) x 10(-11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) independent of temperature over the range of 297-490 K (E(a) = 0 +/- 200 cal mole(-1)). Rate constant ratios of k(C(2)H(5)C(O)CHCH(3) + Cl(2))/k(C(2)H(5)C(O)CHCH(3) + O(2)) = 0.0185 +/- 0.0037 and k(C(2)H(5)C(O)CH(2)CH(2) + Cl(2))/k(C(2)H(5)CH(2)C(O)CH(2)CH(2) + O(2)) = 2.7 +/- 0.4 were determined at 297 K in 800-950 Torr of N(2)/O(2) diluent. In 800-950 Torr of N(2)/O(2) diluent, the major fate of the alkoxy radical CH(3)CH(O)C(O)C(2)H(5) is decomposition to give C(2)H(5)C(O) radicals and CH(3)CHO. These results show that the chemical mechanisms of the 3-pentanone reactions are very similar to those observed for butanone. In addition, the rate constants of the reactions of chlorine atoms with 1-chloro-3-pentanone [3 (+/-0.6) x 10(-11) over the range of 297-460 K], 2,3-pentanedione [1.4 (+/-0.3) x 10(-11) at 297 K], and ethylvinylketone [1.9 (+/-0.4) x 10(-10) over the range of 297-400 K, decreasing rapidly above 400 K] were measured at ambient pressure.