Rotational state resolved center-of-mass angular scattering and kinetic energy release distributions have been determined for the HCl (v(')=0, j(')=0-6) products of the reaction of chlorine with n-butane using the photon-initiated reaction technique, coupled with velocity-map ion imaging. The angular and kinetic energy release distributions derived from the ion images are very similar to those obtained previously for the Cl plus ethane reaction. The angular distributions are found to shift from forward scattering to more isotropic scattering with increasing HCl rotational excitation. The kinetic energy release distributions indicate that around 30% of the available energy is channeled into internal excitation of the butyl radical products. The data analysis also suggests that H-atom abstraction takes place from both primary and secondary carbon atom sites, with the primary site producing rotationally cold, forward scattered HCl (v(')=0) products, and the secondary site yielding more isotropically scattered HCl (v(')=0) possessing higher rotational excitation. The mechanisms leading to these two product channels are discussed in the light of the present findings, and in comparison with studies of other Cl plus alkane reactions. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.