On the Mechanism of Oscillations in the “Beating Mercury Heart”

Shu-Wai Lin; Joel Keizer; Peter A Rock; Herbert Stenschke

doi:10.1073/pnas.71.11.4477

. 1974 Nov;71(11):4477–4481. doi: 10.1073/pnas.71.11.4477

On the Mechanism of Oscillations in the “Beating Mercury Heart”

Shu-Wai Lin ^*, Joel Keizer ^*, Peter A Rock ^*, Herbert Stenschke ^†

PMCID: PMC433909 PMID: 16592197

Abstract

The discovery of a class of electrochemical-mechanical oscillators—similar to the beating mercury heart -are reported and characterized. Chemical and physical effects on the voltage-time oscillations in these systems have been measured and a mechanism consistent with these effects is given. Interesting cross-catalytic effects involving the electrocapillarity of mercury are proposed to be the origin of the oscillations in these systems.

Keywords: electrocapillarity