RESUMO
The drift of spiral waves toward regions of higher light intensity was observed experimentally in the ruthenium-catalyzed Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction. A light gradient can thus be used to manipulate optical information in new computational systems based on photochemical media. The drift of a gradient that is rotationally invariant in space is three to four times as fast as that of a translationally invariant gradient. Simulations based on the use of a cellular automaton, which is made isotropic by a semirandom distribution of cells, are in agreement with the experimental results.
RESUMO
Oscillatory behaviour in the pH value has been observed during the oxidation of sulfite by hydrogen peroxide mediated by hemin, a well known enzyme model compound, in a continuous-flow stirred tank reactor. The dynamics of this reaction has been studied for a variety of flow rates of the reactants. As the flow rates increase, the oscillations evolve from relaxation oscillations to more complex shapes, displaying, among others, bursting behaviour. A reaction mechanism is proposed that involves the autocatalytic oxidation of HSO3- by H2O2, while slow equilibria between different pH-dependent forms of hemin account for the feedback loop which gives rise to oscillatory dynamics. It is shown in experiments that no participation of CO2 is required for oscillations to occur.