Uncatalysed Belousov–Zhabotinskii reaction with pyrogallol: experimental behaviour in a flow reactor and the influence of ferroin as catalyst

Abstract

The behaviour of the uncatalysed Belousov–Zhabotinskii reaction with pyrogallol in a flow reactor has been determined experimentally. The introduction of ferroin as catalyst provides an ‘internally’ coupled system. The evolution of the oscillatory waveform with various experimental constraints (mean residence time, inflow concentrations of the different reactants and the temperature) is reported. These phenomena are successfully reproduced by a 12-step model based on bromide-ion control and this allows additional features of the bifurcation sequences through complex oscillations and chaos to be determined.