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The "blue bottle" experiment involves the alkaline glucose reduction of methylene blue (1-3). Upon standing, the solution turns colorless indicating that the dye has been reduced by the glucose. Shaking the flask will cause the blue color to return as the methylene blue is oxidized by atmospheric oxygen to its blue form. The experiment is very entertaining and has been presented in the scientific education literature as an introductory demonstration in the discussion of chemical kinetics.
We have found that pattern formation can be seen when a solution containing NaOH, glucose, and...