Comparative study of chemical waves and temporal oscillations in the Ru(bpy)32+-catalyzed photosensitive Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction

Properties of the chemical waves emerging from the mask edge were investigated for the Ru(bpy)32+-catalyzed Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction under steady illumination while varying the initial concentration of malonic acid ([MA]0) systematically. The wave velocity, the wavelength and the thickness of the oxidized band were found to decrease monotonously with [MA]0. The obtained results were qualitatively interpreted based on the temporal oscillations measured in a batch reactor. A key effect caused by increasing [MA]0 was identified to be the enhancement of the reduction rate of Ru(bpy)33+.