Effects of Selenium Species on the Belousov-Zhabotinsky Reaction.

The effects of selenium species on the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (B-Z) reaction were investigated by adding them to the system before and during oscillation. When selenium species were added into the system before oscillation, sodium selenite prolonged the induction period, whose effect was strong as sodium selenite could consume malonic acid to prohibit the accumulation of bromomalonic acid. For selenomethionine and selenocystine, their effects were derived from their reaction with CHCOOH and Br producing a radical cation of selenoamino acids, which prohibited the accumulation of bromomalonic acid.