Influence of Metal Ions on Oscillatory Behavior of Zinc Anode in Nitric Acid-Potassium Dichromate Media

A zinc anode in acidic media is a new oscillatory electrochemical system which manifests interesting behaviors, from steady states to simple oscillations and chaos. This paper presents an experimental study of the influence of metal ions on the shape, amplitude and duration of the cell potential oscillations, and gives a qualitative explanation of the system''s behavior. A small quantity of Cu2+, Zn2+ or Fe3+ ions added to the system change dramatically the potential oscillations from chaotic behavior to simple oscillations. The method may be used for chaos attenuation.