Belousov - Zhabotinsky Reactions

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 Code Number :   3A95.59  

Disclaimer:

Reprinted by permission of Dick Berg, University of Maryland, for use on this website.

The demonstrations contained and referenced herein are listed for the purposes of cataloging and describing physics demonstrations which should be conducted only under the direction of a trained instructional support professional or physicist. These demonstrations are not presented for the purpose of being conducted by persons unconnected to this Facility and/or persons not consulting with or being supervised by the recognized instructional support professional or physicist and his/her staff. The University is responsible only for those demonstrations carried out using its own equipment using established safety and scheduling policies, and bears no responsibility for those choosing to use this source material for their own purposes. All demonstrations described and contained herein are public domain, and can also be found in reference materials in libraries, bookstores, and electronic sources.

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Condition :   Good  
Principle :   Chaotic Patterns - Initial Conditions  
Area of Study :  Chaos  
Equipment :   Sodium Bromate, Malonic Acid, Potassium Bromide, Cerium (IV) Ammonium Nitrate, Sulfuric Acid, Ferroin Indicator, Distilled Water, Beakers, Petri Dishes, Stirring Rods.
Procedure :   The mixing of chemicals needs to take place before hand.  This also take quite a bit of time, so make sure to allow at least 24 hours to get this demo ready.  Refer to the file for chemical proportions and mixing instructions.

For every 100 ml of solution use:

.33 g Malonic Acid
.95 g NaBrO3
.55g Ceric Ammonium Nitrate
4.5 ml H2SO4

**For the KBr make a stock solution using .2 grams KBr per Liter.  Use 1 ml of this solution for each 100 ml of reaction solution.
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   References

Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, "Oscillating Chemical Reactions," Chemical Demonstrations, Vol 2, pp. 232-247.

Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, "7.2 Cerium-catalyzed, Bromate-Malonic Acid Reaction." Chemical Demonstrations, Vol 2, pp. 257-261.

Buldyrev, Erickson, Garik, Shore, Stanley, Taylor, Trunfio, and Hickman, "Science Research in the Classroom," TPT, Vol.  32, # 7, p. 411-415 (Oct. 1994).

A. Babloyantz, "The Belousov-Zhabotinski Reaction," QH 506.B33, 1986.

Irving R. Epstein, "Spiral Waves in Chemistry and Biology," Science, Vol. 252.

"Feedback Tames Chaotic Surface Chemistry," Physics Today, Vol. 54 No 7, pp. 18-19.

Jearl Walker.  "Chemical Systems That Oscillate Between One Color and Another."  The Amateur Scientist.  (July, 1978).

Neil. A. Downie, "Glacial Oscillations", Ink Sandwiches, Electric Worms and 37 Other experiments for Saturday Science, p. 13.



Mail Questions and Comments to:  Dale Stille