diff --git a/interfaces/cython/cantera/examples/kinetics/extract_submechanism.py b/interfaces/cython/cantera/examples/kinetics/extract_submechanism.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7d05a978e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/interfaces/cython/cantera/examples/kinetics/extract_submechanism.py
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+"""
+An example demonstrating how to use Species and Reaction objects to
+programmatically extract a reaction submechanism. In this example, the CO/H2
+oxidation reactions are extracted from the GRI 3.0 mechanism.
+
+To test the submechanism, a premixed CO/H2 flame is simulated using the original
+mechanism and the submechanism, which demonstrates that the submechanism
+contains all of the important species and reactions.
+"""
+
+from timeit import default_timer
+import cantera as ct
+import numpy as np
+import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
+
+all_species = ct.Species.listFromFile('gri30.xml')
+species = []
+
+# Filter species
+for S in all_species:
+    comp = S.composition
+    if 'C' in comp and 'H' in comp:
+        # Exclude all hydrocarbon species
+        continue
+    if 'N' in comp and comp != {'N':2}:
+        # Exclude all nitrogen compounds except for N2
+        continue
+    if 'Ar' in comp:
+        # Exclude Argon
+        continue
+
+    species.append(S)
+
+species_names = {S.name for S in species}
+print('Species: {0}'.format(', '.join(S.name for S in species)))
+
+# Filter reactions, keeping only those that only involve the selected species
+all_reactions = ct.Reaction.listFromFile('gri30.xml')
+reactions = []
+
+print '\nReactions:'
+for R in all_reactions:
+    if not all(reactant in species_names for reactant in R.reactants):
+        continue
+
+    if not all(product in species_names for product in R.products):
+        continue
+
+    reactions.append(R)
+    print(R.equation)
+print('\n')
+
+gas1 = ct.Solution('gri30.xml')
+gas2 = ct.Solution(thermo='IdealGas', kinetics='GasKinetics',
+                   species=species, reactions=reactions)
+
+def solve_flame(gas):
+    gas.TPX = 373, 0.05*ct.one_atm, 'H2:0.4, CO:0.6, O2:1, N2:3.76'
+
+    # Create the flame simulation object
+    sim = ct.CounterflowPremixedFlame(gas=gas, grid=np.linspace(0.0, 0.2, 10))
+
+    sim.reactants.mdot = 0.12 # kg/m^2/s
+    sim.products.mdot = 0.06 # kg/m^2/s
+
+    sim.flame.set_steady_tolerances(default=[1.0e-7, 1.0e-13])
+    sim.flame.set_transient_tolerances(default=[1.0e-7, 1.0e-11])
+    sim.set_initial_guess()
+
+    sim.energy_enabled = False
+    sim.solve(0, refine_grid=False)
+    sim.set_refine_criteria(ratio=3, slope=0.1, curve=0.2)
+    sim.energy_enabled = True
+    sim.solve(0, refine_grid=True)
+    return sim
+
+t1 = default_timer()
+sim1 = solve_flame(gas1)
+t2 = default_timer()
+print('Solved with GRI 3.0 in {0:.2f} seconds'.format(t2-t1))
+sim2 = solve_flame(gas2)
+t3 = default_timer()
+print('Solved with CO/H2 submechanism in {0:.2f} seconds'.format(t3-t2))
+
+plt.plot(sim1.grid, sim1.heat_release_rate,
+         lw=2, label='GRI 3.0')
+
+plt.plot(sim2.grid, sim2.heat_release_rate,
+         'r--', lw=2, label='CO/H2 submechanism')
+
+plt.ylabel('Heat release rate ($W/m^3$)')
+plt.xlabel('position (m)')
+plt.legend(loc='upper right')
+plt.tight_layout()
+plt.show()