REACTION-DIFFUSION TRAVELING WAVES IN THE ACIDIC NITRATE-FERROIN REACTION

A two-variable model proposed for the acidic nitrate-ferroin reaction is considered in the reaction-diffusion context. An initial-value problem in which an amount of nitrate is introduced locally into ferroin at uniform concentration is treated both analytically and numerically. It is shown that the large time structure is a reaction-diffusion travelling wave of permanent form propagating with constant speed. This asymptotic wave speed is shown to be the minimum possible wave speed and the asymptotic approach to this value is estimated. Properties of the permanent-form travelling waves are derived and solutions valid for small and large values of a parameter beta, involved in the kinetic mechanism, are obtained.