Convective Mixing Induced by Acid-Base Reactions

When two miscible solutions, each containing a reactive species, are put in contact in the gravity field, local variations in the density due to the reaction can induce convective motion and mixing. We characterize here both experimentally and theoretically such buoyancy-driven instabilities induced by the neutralization of a strong acid by a strong base in aqueous solutions. The diverse patterns obtained are shown to depend on the type of reactants used and on their relative concentrations. They have their origin in a combination of classical hydrodynamic instabilities including differential diffusion of the solutes involved while temperature effects only play a marginal role.