Radiation chemical reactions of•OH, O•−, N3•and eaqt- witho- and m-hydroxycinnamic acids were studied. The second-orderrateconstantsforthereaction of•OH with ortho and meta isomers in buffer solution at pH7 are 3.9±0.2 × 109 and 4.4 ± 0.3 × 109 dm3 mol-1 s-1 respectively. At pH 3 the rate with the ortho isomer was halved (1.6 ± 0.4 × 109 dm3 mol-1 s-1) but it was unaffected in the case of meta isomer (k = 4.2±0.6 × 109dm3mol-1 s-1). The rate constant in the reaction of N3• with the ortho isomer is lower by an order of magnitude (k = 4.9 ± 0.4 × 108 dm3 mol-1s-1). The rates of the reaction of eaqt- with ortho and meta isomers were found to be diffusion controlled. The transient absorption spectrum measured in the•OH witho-hydroxycinnamic acid exhibited an absorption maximum at 360 nm and in meta isomer the spectrum was blue-shifted (330 nm) with a shoulder at 390 nm. A peak at 420 nm was observed in the reaction of Obb−with theo-isomer whereas the meta isomer has a maximum at 390 and a broad shoulder at 450 nm. In the reaction of the absorption peaks were centred at 370–380 nm in both the isomers. The underlying reaction mechanism is discussed.