The kinetics of the reactions of ground state oxygen atoms with 1‐pentene, 1‐hexene, cis‐2‐pentene, and trans‐2‐pentene was investigated in the temperature range 200 to 370 K. In this range the temperature dependences of the rate constants can be represented by k = A′ Tn exp(− E′a/RT) with A′ = (1.0 ± 0.6) · 10−14 cm3 s−1, n = 1.13 ± 0.02, E′a = 0.54 ± 0.05 kJ mol−1 for 1‐pentene: A′ = (1.3 ± 1.2) · 10−14 cm3 s−1, n = 1.04 ± 0.08, E′a = 0.2 ± 0.4 kJ mol−1 for 1‐hexene; A′ = (0.6 ± 0.6) · 10−14 cm3 s−1, n = 1.12 ± 0.05, E′a = − 3.8 ± 0.8 kJ mol−1 for cis‐2‐pentene; and A′ = (0.6 ± 0.8) · 10−14 cm3 s−1, n = 1.14 ± 0.06, E′a = − 4.3 ± 0.5 kJ mol−1 for trans‐2‐pentene. The atoms were generated by the H2‐laser photolysis of NO and detected by time resolved chemiluminescence in the presence of NO. The concentrations of the O(3P) atoms were kept so low that secondary reactions with products are unimportant. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.