Abstract
The behavior of the photosensitive catalyzed bromate ion-benzoquinone-sulfuric acid oscillator\r was studied in order to understand the mechanism of its oscillations. In the first series of experiments,\r the composition and light sensitivity of the system were examined. It was found that the purity of the\r organic compound and the intensity of irradiation have significant effects on the behavior of the\r system, and that several commonly used metal catalysts are able to catalyze the oscillatory reaction. A\r second series of experiments were conducted to determine whether or not the system is of the family of\r chemical oscillators known as Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reactions. It was shown that the catalyzed\r bromate ion-benzoquinone-sulfuric acid system exhibits oscillations in the concentration of bromide\r ions and oxidized catalyst, implying that it is indeed a BZ-type oscillator.\r A mechanism for the oscillatory reactions in the system was investigated. Experiments were\r performed to identify the reducing agent and brominated species. Candidates have been selected to fill\r in these roles, but further tests are needed in order to verify the hypotheses developed over the course\r of this research.