Experimental study of a crossover from nonclassical to classical chemical kinetics: An elementary and reversibleA+B⇆Creaction-diffusion process in a capillary

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Abstract
We study an elementary and reversible A+B⇆C reaction-diffusion process with initially separated reagents, in a convectionless capillary, using an inorganic chemical reaction. We show that the dynamics of the system can be described in terms of a crossover between an ‘‘irreversible regime’’ and a ‘‘reversible regime.’’ We measured the critical exponents in both regimes. In the irreversible regime we demonstrate the nonclassical phenomena of reactant segregation and depletion-zone formation. In the reversible regime we observed the effect of a local equilibrium where the classical prediction is confirmed. The experimental results are in good agreement with values predicted by theory and simulation. © 1996 The American Physical Society.