Bromide Ion Impurity-Induced Reaction between Selenium(IV) and Acidic Bromate: Prototype of a Cycle with Autocatalytic Behavior.

The selenium(IV)-bromate reaction in an acidic medium using phosphoric acid/phosphate buffer was investigated by UV-vis spectroscopy monitoring the formation of bromine. In an excess of bromate, the absorbance-time curves measured at 450 nm display a characteristic sigmoidal shape having a fairly long induction period, while in the opposite case, when selenium(IV) species is used in excess, the measured data follow the rise and fall behavior. Depending on the excess of Se(IV) the final bromine-containing product is either an elementary bromine or bromide ion. Simultaneous evaluation of the measured kinetic traces clearly indicated that, surprisingly, no direct reaction takes place between the reactants. Instead of that, a trace amount of bromide ion impurity in the stock bromate solution is sufficient to drive the system via the oxidation of the bromide ion by bromate producing elementary bromine followed by the subsequent selenite-bromine reaction reestablishing the bromide ion to open a new cycle. As a result, the concentration of bromide ions increases in a sigmoidal fashion during the course of the reaction unless enough selenium(IV) species is present; hence, the overall synergetic effect observed is the autocatalytic rise of bromide ions. Therefore, the cycle mentioned above may be considered as a prototype of autocatalytic cycles. This observation prompted us to clarify the explicit difference between an autocatalytic cycle and an autocatalytic reaction.

Kinetics and Mechanism of Selenium(IV) Oxidation by Aqueous Bromine Solution.

The bromine-selenite reaction at strongly acidic conditions was investigated by monitoring the absorbance-time traces at the isosbestic point of the bromine-tribromide system at a constant ionic strength (0.5 M adjusted by sodium perchlorate) and temperature. Despite the simplicity of the stoichiometry, the kinetics was found to be very complex. Although the formal kinetic orders of the reactants bromine and selenite are strictly 1, that of the hydrogen ion varies from -2 to less than -3 and notably depends on the initial bromide concentration as well. The bromide ion also inhibits the reaction, making the whole system as a sound example of efficient autoinhibition. We have clearly shown that the inhibitory effect of the bromide ion cannot be explained quantitatively by either exclusively considering the unreactivity of the tribromide ion over elemental bromine or driving the reaction via hypobromous acid formed from the well-known hydrolysis of bromine in aqueous solutions. Instead of that, bromonium ion transfer initiating equilibrium is suggested between the selenium(IV) and bromine species to produce bromide ion and SeO3Br- followed by the hydrolysis of this short-lived intermediate. This hydrolytic transformation was found to be catalytic with respect to hydroxide and bromide ions as well. We have also demonstrated that, among the wide variety of selenium species present in the acidic aqueous solution, the best result can be obtained by considering HSeO3 - as the kinetically active species toward bromine. The proposed mechanism containing 10 acid-base equilibria with known equilibrium constants, the above-mentioned initiating equilibrium, and the hydrolysis of SeO3Br- is able to fit all 49 kinetic absorbance-traces simultaneously, taking into account properly the most important characteristics of the measured data at strongly acidic conditions. Furthermore, this kinetic model was further extended by the direct reactions of hypobromous acid with selenium(IV) species suggested previously with reasonably modified rate coefficients to describe the pH dependence of the apparent second-order rate coefficients over the pH = 1-13 range, providing a useful tool to predict more accurately the kinetic behavior of selenium(IV) species in water treatment process conditions.

Compatible Kinetic Model for Quantitative Description of Dual-Clock Behavior of the Complex Thiourea-Iodate Reaction.

The thiourea-iodate reaction has been investigated simultaneously by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Absorbance-time traces measured at the isosbestic point of the iodine-triiodide system have revealed a special dual-clock behavior. During the first kinetic stage of the title reaction, iodine suddenly appears only after a well-defined time lag when thiourea is totally consumed due to the rapid thiourea-iodine system giving rise to a substrate-depletive clock reaction. After this delay, iodine in the system starts to build up suddenly to a certain level, where the system remains for quite a while. During this period, hydrolysis of formamidine disulfide as well as the formamidine disulfide-iodine system along with the Dushman reaction and subsequent reactions of the intermediates governs the parallel formation and disappearance of iodine, resulting in a fairly constant absorbance. The kinetic phase mentioned above is then followed by a more slowly increasing sigmoidally shaped profile that is characteristic of autocatalysis-driven clock reactions. HPLC studies have clearly shown that the thiourea dioxide-iodate system is responsible mainly for the latter characteristics. Of course, depending on the initial concentration ratio of the reactants, the absorbance-time curve may level off or reach a maximum followed by a declining phase. With an excess of thiourea, iodine may completely disappear from the solution as a result of the thiourea dioxide-iodine reaction. In the opposite case, with an excess of iodate, the final absorbance reaches a finite value, and at the same time, iodide ion will disappear completely from the solution due to the well-known Dushman (iodide-iodate) reaction. In addition, we have also shown that in the case of the formamidine disulfide-iodine reaction, unexpectedly the triiodide ion is more reactive toward formamidine disulfide than iodine. This feature can readily be interpreted by the enhancement of the rate of formation of the transition complex containing oppositely charged reactants. A 25-step kinetic model is proposed with just 10 fitted parameters to fit the 68 kinetic traces measured in the thiourea-iodate system and the second, but slower, kinetic phase of the thiourea-iodine reaction. The comprehensive kinetic model is constituted in such a way as to remain coherent in quantitatively describing all of the most important characteristics of the formamidine disulfide-iodine, thiourea dioxide-iodine, and thiourea dioxide-iodate systems.

Correct classification and identification of autocatalysis.

It is generally accepted that autocatalysis is a kinetic phenomenon, where a product of a reacting system functions as a catalyst. Consequently, the reaction proceeds faster upon adding the corresponding product to the unreacted mixture of reactants providing an unequivocal possibility of how a system may be identified either experimentally or theoretically as an autocatalysis. Once this is approved, it often results in sigmoidal concentration-time profiles, though it is neither a necessary nor sufficient prerequisite because appropriate mechanistic and parametric conditions must be met to give rise to the appearance of this kinetic feature. Several mass action type kinetic models producing sigmoidal concentration-time profiles are systematically analyzed to clarify their correct characterization and classification. This procedure has led us to refine the definitions of autocatalysis and autocatalyst. A kinetic phenomenon where a product of the overall chemical event serves as a catalyst for at least one of its subsystems or for the whole system itself is called autocatalysis. This definition makes it clear that in the case of autocatalysis, the concentration of autocatalyst necessarily increases during the course of any real overall chemical or biochemical reaction. The way it is achieved thereby provides a suitable tool to classify autocatalytic processes by their elucidated and fine mechanistic details.

Autoinhibition by Iodide Ion in the Methionine-Iodine Reaction.

The methionine-iodine reaction was reinvestigated spectrophotometrically in detail monitoring the absorbance belonging to the isosbestic point of iodine at 468 nm, at T = 25.0 ± 0.1 °C, and at 0.5 M ionic strength in buffered acidic medium. The stoichiometric ratio of the reactants was determined to be 1:1 producing methionine sulfoxide as the lone sulfur-containing product. The direct reaction between methionine and iodine was found to be relatively rapid in the absence of initially added iodide ion, and it can conveniently be followed by the stopped-flow technique. Reduction of iodine eventually leads to the formation of iodide ion that inhibits the reaction making the whole system autoinhibitory with respect to the halide ion. We have also shown that this inhibitory effect appears quite prominently, and addition of iodide ion in the millimole concentration range may result in a rate law where the formal kinetic order of this species becomes -2. In contrast to this, hydrogen ion has just a mildly inhibitory effect giving rise to the fact that iodine is the kinetically active species in the system but not hypoiodous acid. The surprisingly complex kinetics of this simple reaction may readily be interpreted via the initiating rapidly established iodonium-transfer process between the reactants followed by the subsequent hydrolytic decomposition of the short-lived iodinated methionine. A seven-step kinetic model to be able to describe the most important characteristics of the measured kinetic curves is established and discussed in detail.

Law of Mass Action Type Chemical Mechanisms for Modeling Autocatalysis and Hypercycles: Their Role in the Evolutionary Race.

One of our most appealing challenge is to unravel the role of a presumably autocatalytic system in controlling the origin and spreading of Life on our entire planet. Here we show that in the simplest autocatalytic loop involving reactions capable of self-replication and obeying law of mass action kinetics, concentration growth of the autocatalyst may be characterized by parametrization of direct and autocatalytic pathways rather than by kinetic orders of the autocatalyst. Extending this model by feasible elementary steps allows us to outline super-exponential growth where kinetic order of the autocatalyst is higher than unity. Furthermore, it is shown in case of the simplest hypercycle that such a situation might appear where the otherwise more sluggish autocatalytic route receives a decisive support from the crosscatalytic pathway to become an apparently stronger autocatalytic loop even if the other route contains a more efficient autocatalysis. If the hypercycle is performed under flow conditions selection of autocatalyst depends on kinetic and flow parameters influenced by external factors mimicking that the most adaptive loop of hypercycle eventually finds its wining way in the evolutionary race.

Reactivity of Small Oxoacids of Sulfur.

Oxidation of sulfide to sulfate is known to consist of several steps. Key intermediates in this process are the so-called small oxoacids of sulfur (SOS)-sulfenic HSOH (hydrogen thioperoxide, oxadisulfane, or sulfur hydride hydroxide) and sulfoxylic S(OH)2 acids. Sulfur monoxide can be considered as a dehydrated form of sulfoxylic acid. Although all of these species play an important role in atmospheric chemistry and in organic synthesis, and are also invoked in biochemical processes, they are quite unstable compounds so much so that their physical and chemical properties are still subject to intense studies. It is well-established that sulfoxylic acid has very strong reducing properties, while sulfenic acid is capable of both oxidizing and reducing various substrates. Here, in this review, the mechanisms of sulfide oxidation as well as data on the structure and reactivity of small sulfur-containing oxoacids, sulfur monoxide, and its precursors are discussed.

On the Kinetics and Mechanism of the Thiourea Dioxide-Periodate Autocatalysis-Driven Iodine-Clock Reaction.

The thiourea dioxide-periodate reaction has been investigated under acidic conditions using phosphate buffer within the pH range of 1.1-2.0 at 1.0 M ionic strength adjusted by sodium perchlorate. Absorbance-time series are monitored as a function of time at 468 nm, the isosbestic point of the I2-I3- system. The profile of these kinetic runs follows either sigmoidal-shaped or rise-and-fall traces depending on the initial concentration ratio of the reactants. The clock species iodine appears after a well-defined but reproducible time lag even in substrate excess, meaning that the system may be classified as an autocatalysis-driven clock reaction. It is also demonstrated that the age of the thiourea dioxide solution markedly shortens the Landolt time, suggesting that the original form of thiourea dioxide (TDO) rearranges into a more reactive form and reacts faster than the original one. The behavior found is consistent with that recently observed in other oxidation reactions of TDO. To characterize the system quantitatively, a 22-step kinetic model is constructed from adapting the kinetic model of the TDO-iodate reaction published recently by supplementing it with six different reactions of periodate. By the help of seven fitted rate coefficients a sound agreement between the measured and calculated absorbance-time traces is obtained.

Kinetics and Mechanism of the Concurrent Reactions of Hexathionate with S(IV) and Thiosulfate in a Slightly Acidic Medium.

Reactions of hexathionate with thiosulfate and sulfite have been investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography via monitoring the concentration-time series of tetrathionate, pentathionate, hexathionate, and thiosulfate simultaneously within the pH range of 4.0-5.0. In both reactions, elementary sulfur forms; more significant sulfur precipitation may be observed in the case of the hexathionate-thiosulfate reaction, but slight turbidity in the other system means that elementary sulfur also appears in a detectable amount in the hexathionate-sulfite reaction. Initial rate studies have revealed that the formal kinetic orders of both reactants in both systems are clearly unity but pH-dependence can only be observed in the case of the hexathionate-sulfite reaction. The proposed kinetic model appears to suggest that nucleophilic attack of sulfite and thiosulfate may also occur on the ß- or γ-sulfur of the polythionate chain and breakages of the α-ß, ß-γ, and γ-γ' bonds are all conceivable possibilities to drive the reactions. Consequently, the generally accepted sulfur-chain elongating effect of thiosulfate on longer polythionates is also proven to be accompanied by sulfur-chain shortening pathways, eventually leading to the formation of elementary sulfur.

Exact Concentration Dependence of the Landolt Time in the Thiourea Dioxide-Bromate Substrate-Depletive Clock Reaction.

The thiourea dioxide (TDO)-bromate reaction has been reinvestigated spectrophotometrically under acidic conditions using phosphoric acid-dihydrogen-phosphate buffer within the pH range of 1.1-1.8 at 1.0 M ionic strength adjusted by sodium perchlorate and at 25 °C. The title system shows a remarkable resemblance to the classical Landolt reaction, namely, the clock species (bromine) may only appear after the substrate TDO is completely consumed. Thus, the title system can be classified as substrate-depletive clock reaction. Despite the well-known slow rearrangement characteristic of TDO in acidic solution, it is surprisingly found that the Landolt time of the title reaction does not depend at all on the age of TDO solution applied. It is, however, shown experimentally that the inverse of Landolt time linearly depends on the initial bromate concentration as well as on the square of the hydrogen ion concentration. In addition to this, it is also noticed that dihydrogen phosphate markedly affects the Landolt time as well, and this feature may easily be taken into consideration by the H2PO4- dependence of the rate of bromate-bromide reaction quantitatively. Based on the experiments, a simple three-step kinetic model is proposed from which a complex formula is derived to indicate the exact concentration dependence of the Landolt time.

Autocatalysis-Driven Clock Reaction III: Clarifying the Kinetics and Mechanism of the Thiourea Dioxide-Iodate Reaction in an Acidic Medium.

The thiourea dioxide-iodate reaction has been reinvestigated spectrophotometrically under acidic conditions using phosphoric acid-dihydrogen phosphate buffer within the pH range of 1.1-1.8 at 1.0 M ionic strength adjusted by sodium perchlorate and at 25 °C. The system was found to exhibit clock behavior, having a well-defined and reproducible time lag called Landolt time, though elementary iodine may even be detected in substrate excess; hence, under these conditions, the reaction can be classified as an autocatalysis-driven clock reaction. It is clearly demonstrated that the previously proposed kinetic model suffers from serious drawbacks from both theoretical and experimental points of view. The reaction may be characterized by either sigmoidal-shaped or rise-and-fall kinetic traces, depending on the initial concentration ratio of the reactants. Iodide significantly accelerates the appearance of the clock species iodine acting therefore as an autocatalyst. The age of stock TDO solution also has a great, so far completely overlooked impact on the Landolt time. On the basis of evaluating simultaneously the kinetic curves, a 16 step kinetic model including 5 well-known rapidly established equilibria is proposed with 7 fitted rate coefficients in which the rate coefficients of both forms of TDO were determined.

Kinetics of the Two-Stage Oxidation of Sulfide by Chlorine Dioxide.

The sulfide-chlorine dioxide reaction was found to have two distinct kinetic stages at alkaline conditions. The first stage proceeds so rapidly that it can only be measured by a stopped-flow technique at low temperature and leads to the parallel formation of polysulfide and sulfate as sulfur-containing products. At the same time, chlorite, chlorate, and chloride are produced from chlorine dioxide in detectable amounts, suggesting a complex stoichiometry. A nine-step kinetic model including short-lived intermediates like sulfide radical and •HSClO2- is proposed to describe the kinetic data in this rapid stage. In an excess of chlorine dioxide, the first stage is followed by a significantly slower one to be measured by conventional UV-vis spectroscopy at room temperature. Considering that tetrasulfide is formed during the first rapid course of the reaction, the subsequent slow kinetic stage can only be described by the direct oxidation of tetrasulfide by chlorine dioxide and, surprisingly, the tetrasulfide-catalyzed disproportionation of chlorine dioxide.

Imperfect mixing as a dominant factor leading to stochastic behavior: a new system exhibiting crazy clock behavior.

It is clearly demonstrated that the arsenous acid-periodate reaction displays crazy-clock behavior when a statistically meaningful number of kinetic runs are performed under "exactly the same" conditions. Both extensive experimental and numerical simulation results gave convincing evidence that the stochastic feature of the title reaction originates from the imperfection of the mixing process, and neither local random fluctuation nor initial inhomogeneity alone is capable of explaining adequately the observed phenomena. Imperfect mixing is manifested-in practice-in the unintentional and inherent formation of dead volumes where the concentration of the reactants may even significantly differ from the ones measured in the case of a completely uniform concentration distribution, and the system may spend enough time there under imperfectly mixed conditions to complete the nonlinear chemical process. Furthermore, it is also shown that a more efficient mixing, i.e. a smaller dead volume size and shorter residence time being spent in the dead volume, does not necessarily mean Landolt times are smaller than the one measured under completely homogeneous conditions. Evidently, the "initial" concentration of the reagents in the dead volume-and of course in the rest of the solution-greatly influences the Landolt time to be measured in the case of an individual kinetic run and may therefore show either positive or negative deviation from the Landolt time for the completely homogeneous state. As a result, less efficient mixing may either accelerate or decelerate the rate of a nonlinear autocatalytic reaction at a macroscopic volume level.

Transition from Low to High Iodide and Iodine Concentration States in the Briggs-Rauscher Reaction: Evidence on Crazy Clock Behavior.

The Briggs-Rauscher reaction containing malonic acid may undergo a sudden transition from low (state I) to high iodide and iodine (state II) concentration states after a well-defined and strongly reproducible oscillatory period. This study clearly shows that even though the time-dependent behavior of the oscillatory state is reproducible, the time lag necessary for the appearance of the state I to state II transition after the system leaves the oscillatory state becomes irreproducible for an individual kinetic run. This crazy clock behavior of the state I to state II transition is identified by repeated experiments in which stirring rate is taken as a control parameter and all other parameters such as initial conditions, temperature, vessel surface, and the age of solution were kept constant. Surprisingly, a better stirring condition does not make the transition reproducible; it simply does not allow the transition to happen at all. The proposed mechanism, additional explanations, and proposals for this irreproducibility of state I to state II transition have been presented. Considering the fact that the number of crazy clock reactions is only a few, this study may contribute to a better understanding of fundaments of this phenomenon.

Autocatalytic Oxidation of Trithionate by Iodate in a Strongly Acidic Medium.

The trithionate-iodate reaction has been studied spectrophotometrically in an acidic medium at 25.0 ± 0.1 °C in phosphoric acid/dihydrogen phosphate buffer, monitoring the absorbance at 468 nm at the isosbestic point of the iodine-triiodide ion system and at I = 0.5 M ionic strength adjusted by sodium perchlorate. The main characteristics of the title system are very reminiscent of those found recently in the pentathionate-iodate and the pentathionate-periodate reactions, the systems paving the way for classifying clock reactions. Thorough analysis revealed that the direct trithionate-iodate reaction plays a subtle role only to produce a trace amount of iodide ion via a finite sequence of reactions, and once its concentration reaches a certain level, then the reaction is almost exclusively governed by the trithionate-iodine and iodide-iodate reactions. The title reaction, as expected, was experimentally proven to be autocatalytic with respect to iodide ion. A simple three-step Landolt-type kinetic model is proposed to describe adequately the most important kinetic features of the title system that can easily be extended to a feasible sequence of elementary and quasi-elementary reactions.

Clarifying the Equilibrium Speciation of Periodate Ions in Aqueous Medium.

Equilibria of periodate ion were reinvestigated in aqueous solution by using potentiometric titration, UV and Raman spectroscopies, and gravimetry simultaneously at 0.5 M ionic strength and at 25.0 ± 0.2 °C. Stepwise acid dissociation constants of orthoperiodic acid were found to be pK1 = 0.98 ± 0.18, pK2 = 7.42 ± 0.03, and pK3 = 10.99 ± 0.02, as well as pK2 = 7.55 ± 0.04 and pK3 = 11.25 ± 0.03 in the presence of sodium nitrate and sodium perchlorate as background salts, respectively. pK1 cannot be determined unambiguously from our experiments in the presence of sodium perchlorate. The molar absorptivity spectrum of H4IO6- and H3IO62- was determined in the range of 215-335 nm, as major species of periodate present from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline conditions. The solubility of periodate decreases significantly under alkaline conditions, and it was determined to be (2.8 ± 0.4) mM by gravimetry, under our experimental conditions. None of these studies gave any clear evidence for an ortho-meta equilibrium and the frequently invoked dimerization of periodate. All measurements can quantitatively be described by the presence of orthoperiodic acid and its three successive deprotonation steps.

Investigation of the Halogenate-Hydrogen Peroxide Reactions Using the Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spin Trapping Technique.

The differences in the mechanism of the halogenate reactions with the same oxidizing/reducing agent, such as H2O2 contribute to the better understanding of versatile halogen chemistry. The reaction between iodate, bromate, and chlorate with hydrogen peroxide in acidic medium at 60 °C is investigated by using the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spin trapping technique. Essential differences in the chemistry of iodate, bromate, and chlorate in their reactions with hydrogen peroxide have been evidenced by finding different radicals as governing intermediates. The reaction between KIO3 and H2O2 is supposed to be the source of IO2• radicals. The KBrO3 and H2O2 reaction did not produce any EPR signal, whereas the KClO3-H2O2 system was found to be a source of HO• radical. Moreover, KClO3 dissolved in sulfuric acid without hydrogen peroxide produced HO• radical as well. The minimal-core models explaining the origin of obtained EPR signals are proposed. Current findings suggested the inclusion of IO2• and HOO• radicals, and ClO2• and HO• radicals in the particular kinetic models of iodate-hydrogen peroxide and chlorate-hydrogen peroxide systems, as well as possible exclusion of BrO2• radical from the kinetic scheme of the bromate-hydrogen peroxide system. Obtained results may pave the way for understanding more complex, nonlinear reactions of these halogen-containing species.

Kinetics and Mechanism of the Oxidation of Thiourea Dioxide by Iodine in a Slightly Acidic Medium.

The thiourea dioxide (TDO)-iodine reaction was investigated spectrophotometrically monitoring the consumption of total amount of iodine at 468 nm, at T = 25.0 ± 0.1 °C, and at 0.5 M ionic strength in buffered slightly acidic medium. The nitrogen- and carbon-containing products were found to be ammonium ion and dissolved carbon dioxide, respectively, while from sulfur part sulfate ion was exclusively detected, when fresh TDO solution was used. The stoichiometry of the reaction was established as 2I2 + TDO + 4H2O → SO42- + 2NH4+ + 4I- + CO2 + 4H+ indicating a strict 2:1 stoichiometric ratio. However, using aged TDO solution this stoichiometric ratio is shifted to lower values suggesting the formation of elementary sulfur augmented by the 2TDO + I2 + 4H2O → S + SO42- + 4NH4+ + 2I- + 2CO2 hypothetical limiting stoichiometry. We also confirmed experimentally that in aqueous solution TDO slowly rearranges into an unindentified species. This species then produces elementary sulfur at a later stage of the aging process via subsequent reactions accounting for a loss of reducing power. The direct reaction between TDO and iodine was found to be relatively rapid and completed within seconds in absence of initially added iodide ion. Formation of the latter ion, however, strongly inhibits the oxidation process; hence, the system is autoinhibitory with respect to iodide ion. Furthermore, increase of pH markedly accelerates the reaction as well. These observations suggest that a short-lived steady-state intermediate (iodinated TDO) is produced in a rapid pre-equilibrium, where iodide and hydrogen ions are also involved. A nine-step kinetic model, to be able to describe the most important characteristics of the experimental curves with four fitted parameters, is proposed and discussed.

Reactions of aquacobalamin and cob(II)alamin with chlorite and chlorine dioxide.

Reactions of aquacobalamin (H2O-Cbl(III)) and its one-electron reduced form (cob(II)alamin, Cbl(II)) with chlorite (ClO2-) and chlorine dioxide (ClO 2• ) were studied by conventional and stopped-flow UV-Vis spectroscopies and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). ClO2- does not react with H2O-Cbl(III), but oxidizes Cbl(II) to H2O-Cbl(III) as a major product and corrin-modified species as minor products. The proposed mechanism of chlorite reduction involves formation of OCl- that modifies the corrin ring during the course of reaction with Cbl(II). H2O-Cbl(III) undergoes relatively slow destruction by ClO 2• via transient formation of oxygenated species, whereas reaction between Cbl(II) and ClO 2• proceeds extremely rapidly and leads to the oxidation of the Co(II)-center.

Convection-Induced Fingering Fronts in the Chlorite-Trithionate Reaction.

Based upon a former study, the chlorite-trithionate reaction can avoid the side reactions arising from the well-known alkaline decomposition of polythionates, making it a suitable candidate for investigating spatial front instabilities in a reaction-diffusion-convection system. In this work, the chlorite-trithionate reaction was investigated in a Hele-Shaw cell, in which fingering patterns were observed over a wide range of reactant concentrations. A significant density increment crossing the propagating front indicates that the fingering pattern is generated as a consequence of the buoyancy-driven instability due to the density changes of solute when the gap thickness is less than 4 mm. The velocity of the steepest descent in the propagating front depends almost linearly on the gap thickness but displays a saturation-like profile on the trithionate concentration as well as a maximum on the chlorite concentration. Numerical simulation using the Stokes-Brinkman Equation coupled to the reaction-diffusion processes, including hydrogen ion autocatalysis and consumption, reproduces the observed fingering fronts.