Hydrodynamic turbulence and diffusion-controlled reactions: simulation of the effect of stirring on the oscillating Belousov-Zhabotinskii reaction with the Radicalator model

Abstract

Different stirring effects of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction observed by previous authors and also reported here can be explained and modeled semiquantitatively by a diffusion-controlled radical-radical reaction step of the Radicalator. It is shown that hydrodynamic turbulence can accelerate the rate of a diffusion-controlled reaction considerably provided that both reactants of the diffusion-controlled step in the mechanism of other (non-BZ) reactions as well. Finally, it is found that uniform ultrasonic stirring can substitute for the less uniform mechanical stirring in the BZ reaction.