Chemical pattern formation driven by a neutralization reaction. I. Mechanism and basic features

We study the chemohydrodynamic pattern formation during interfacial mass transfer accompanied by a neutralization reaction. The system, which is placed in a Hele-Shaw cell, is a configuration of two immiscible liquid phases in contact along a plane interface. In the upper, organic layer a carboxylic acid is dissolved, the concentration of which is far beyond the equilibrium partition ratio. Interfacial acid transfer initiates the neutralization with an organic base dissolved in the lower, aqueous layer. Focus is on the exploration of a novel instability consisting of a regular cellular structure penetrating into the aqueous bulk solution. By several complementary experimental methods, including shadowgraph visualization with different magnifications, particle image velocimetry, differential interferometry, and detailed measurements of relevant material properties, the driving mechanism of the instability is identified. Synthesis of the experimental results suggests that lateral differences in buoyancy are responsible for the convection. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.