Chemical Smoke Rings: The Evolution of Unconfined, Buoyant, Chemical Plumes Physics in Canada, Vol. 61, No. 4, p. 167 (2005). Michael C. Rogers and Stephen W. Morris Department of Physics, University of Toronto, 60 St. George St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A7. Winner of the best student paper competition at the Canadian Association of Physicists Annual Congress, UBC, June 6-9, 2005.

Since the discovery of fire, humankind has been captivated by hydrodynamic flows driven by chemical reactions. In this paper we examine a much simpler, yet still intricate, new system in which an autocatalytic reaction front yields laminar plumes and vortex rings analogous to rising smoke rings.

Movies:

• Autocatalytic chemical smoke ring, the movie [YouTube].

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