[1] He investigated the role of the iodate (IO−3), the anion of iodic acid, in the catalytic conversion of hydrogen peroxide to oxygen and water by the iodate.
He observed that the concentration of iodine molecules oscillated periodically and that hydrogen peroxide was consumed during the reaction.
An increase in temperature reduces the cycle in the range of hours.
During this period, most chemists rejected the phenomenon and tried to explain the oscillation by invoking heterogeneous impurities.
A fundamental property of this system is that hydrogen peroxide has a redox potential which enables the simultaneous oxidation of iodine to iodate: and the reduction of iodate back to iodine: Between these two reactions the system oscillates causing a concentration jump of the iodide and the oxygen production.