Behavior of the reaction front between initially segregated species in a two-stage reaction

Abstract

The large-time asymptotic behavior of a two-stage reaction (A+B→R, B+R→S) with initially segregated reactants is described. The concentration of the reactants is found to be significantly less than the initial concentrations in a depletion zone of width proportional to t[sup. 1/2], where t is time; the reaction takes place in a thinner zone of width proportional to t[sup. 1/6]. Similarity solutions for the chemical concentration profiles in the reaction zone are calculated, and are compared with numerical simulations of the full partial differential reaction-diffusion equations. The large-time asymptotic scalings reported here are the same as in the absence of the secondary reaction, but we find that the location of the reaction zone is significantly shifted due to the secondary reaction. The reaction zone may behave in an exotic fashion at large time, moving first one way, then reversing its direction.