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Stochastic effects on the isothermal explosion arising in the oxidation of iron (II) by nitric acid

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Abstract

The oxidation of ferrous ion by nitric acid provides us with an example of an isothermal chemical explosion. We propose a chemical scheme with only two independent variables capable of explaining the explosive behavior, and examine the behavior of the fluctuations during the explosion period. The analysis is based on the numerical integration of the time evolution equations corresponding to the first and the second moments of the probability distribution of the number of particles of Fe2+ and HNO2. During the time interval of explosion the fluctuations present a peak whose maximum value increases as the volume of the system decreases. Comparison with the results of deterministic analysis is performed.

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Mauricio, F., Velasco, S. Stochastic effects on the isothermal explosion arising in the oxidation of iron (II) by nitric acid. J Stat Phys 43, 521–536 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01020651

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01020651

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