Propagating wave merging in a precipitation reaction

Abstract

Propagating precipitation waves are a remarkable form of spatiotemporal behavior that arise through the coupling of reaction, diffusion, and precipitation. We study a system with a sodium hydroxide outer electrolyte and an aluminum hydroxide inner electrolyte. In a redissolution Liesegang system, a single propagating precipitation band moves down through the gel, with precipitate formed at the band front and precipitate dissolved at the band back. Complex spatiotemporal waves occur within the propagating precipitation band, including counter-rotating spiral waves, target patterns, and annihilation of waves on collision. We have also carried out experiments in thin slices of gel, which have revealed propagating waves of a diagonal precipitation feature within the primary precipitation band. These waves display a wave merging phenomenon in which two horizontally propagating waves merge into a single wave. Computational modeling permits the development of a detailed understanding of the complex dynamical behavior.