Liesegang Patterns:  Effect of Dissociation of the Invading Electrolyte

Abstract

The effect of dissociation of the invading electrolyte on the formation of Liesegang bands is investigated. We find, using organic compounds with known dissociation constants, that the spacing coefficient, 1 + p, that characterizes the position of the n th band as x n ∼ (1 + p ) n decreases with increasing dissociation constant, K d . Theoretical arguments are developed to explain these experimental findings and to calculate explicitly the K d dependence of 1 + p .