Abstract
SOME autocatalytic reactions may exhibit propagating reaction fronts if a small amount of autocatalyst is introduced into the unstirred, autocatalyst-free system1–10. The velocity of the front propagation depends on the diffusion constants of the reacting species, on their initial concentrations, on the kinetics and mechanism of the reaction and on any electric11,12 and gravitational forces13 that influence the migration of the reactive species. The cobalt(n)-catalysed auto-oxidation of benzaldehyde in glacial acetic acid14, which involves radicals as well as the transformation of paramagnetic Co(n) into diamagnetic Co(in), is an example of a propagating-front reaction15. It is well known16,17 that magnetic fields may alter the rate constants of some radical reactions by ∼5–30%. Here we present results which show that, in this system, even a weak magnetic interaction may cause a change of several orders of magnitude in the velocity of the propagating front, as a result of the paramagnetic–diamagnetic transformation involved in the process.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Field, R. J. & Noyes, R. M. J. Am. chem. Soc. 96, 2001–2006 (1974).
Showalter, K., Noyes, R. M. & Turner, H. J. Am. chem. Soc. 101, 7463–7469 (1979).
Jorne, J. J. Am. chem. Soc. 102, 6196–6198 (1980).
Showalter, K. J. phys. Chem. 85, 440–447 (1981).
Gribschaw, T. A., Showalter, K., Banville, D. L. & Epstein, I. R. J. phys. Chem. 85, 2152–2155 (1981).
Weitz, D. M. & Epstein, I. R. J. phys. Chem. 88, 5300–5304 (1984).
Gowland, R. J. & Stedman, G. J. JCS chem. Commun. 1038–1039 (1983).
Szirovicza, L., Nagypál, I. & Boga, E. J. Am. chem. Soc. 111, 2842–2845 (1989).
Reusser, E. J. & Field, R. J. J. Am. chem. Soc. 101, 1063–1071 (1979).
Schmidt, S. & Ortoleva, P. J. chem. Phys. 72, 2733–2736 (1980).
Sevcikova, H. & Marek, M. Physica D9, 140–156 (1983).
Sevcikova, H. & Marek, M. Physica D13, 379–386 (1984).
Nagypál, I., Bazsa, G. & Epstein, I. R. J. Am. chem. Soc. 108, 3635–3640 (1986).
Roelofs, M. G., Wassermann, E. & Jensen, J. H. J. Am. chem. Soc. 109, 4207–4217 (1987).
Boga, E., Peintler, G. & Nagypál, I. J. Am. chem. Soc. 112, 151–153 (1990).
Steiner, U. E. & Ulrich, T. Chem. Rev. 89, 51–147 (1989).
Hughes, E. M. & Corden, B. B. J. Am. chem. Soc. 111, 4110–4111 (1989).
Bazsa, G. & Epstein, I. R. J. phys. Chem. 89, 3050–3053 (1985).
Pojman, J. & Epstein, I. R. J. phys. Chem. 94, 4966–4972 (1990).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Boga, E., Kádár, S., Peintler, G. et al. Effect of magnetic fields on a propagating reaction front. Nature 347, 749–751 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1038/347749a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/347749a0
This article is cited by
-
Amplification of weak magnetic field effects on oscillating reactions
Scientific Reports (2021)
-
Forced vortex interaction and annihilation in an active medium
Nature (1992)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.