Mechanisms of Oscillating Chemical Reactions

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This research, part of the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program, is designed to investigate the mechanisms of oscillating chemical reactions. This work is expected to lead to new insights into the basic dynamics of oscillating reactions as well as the chemistry of the systems involved. Information will also be obtained about the aqueous sulfur chemistry which is of environmental and industrial importance. The first chemical oscillator to be investigated is the methylene-blue-catalyzed oxidation of sulfur-containing ions by oxygen in a continuous-flow, stirred tank reactor. A major role will be to sort out the importance in this system of kinetic nonlinearities related to autocatalysis and/or inhibition. In addition, the mechanism of both catalyzed and uncatalyzed bromine-ion-driven oscillators will be examined. An attempt will be made to interpret the well-documented appearance of aperiodicity in stirred tank reactors in terms of coupling between areas of different composition in the reactor resulting from imperfect mixing.