Identification of two aromatic isomers between 3- and 4-hydroxy benzoic acid by their perturbation on the potential oscillations of a Belousov-Zhabotinsky system

A novel method for identification of two aromatic isomers of mono hydroxy benzoic acid (HBA) was reported by using their different perturbation effects on the potential oscillations of a Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) system. In such a system, a macrocyclic complex of Cu [CuL](ClO₄)₂ was used as catalyst in which ligand L is 5,7,7,12,14,14-hexamethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradeca-4,11-diene. To the BZ system, 3-hydroxy benzoic acid (3-HBA) could temporarily quench and regenerate potential oscillations with damping characters after inhibition time (t_in) while 4-hydroxy benzoic acid (4-HBA) could only change the oscillation amplitude (ΔA) to give damping oscillations with no inhibition time. Thus, these two isomers of HBA were identified. Reaction mechanisms of BZ have been proposed by FKN model. An explanation of perturbation mechanism is that, although 3-HBA reacted with BrO₂ while 4-HBA reacted with BrO₃⁻, they all produced 1,4-quinone.