We experimentally investigated the effects of a chemical reaction involving precipitation on the miscible viscous fingering pattern formed in a Hele-Shaw cell. The precipitation concentration, the ratio of the reactant concentrations initially included in the more- and less-viscous liquids, and the Péclet number were varied. For a Péclet number at the stoichiometric ratio the precipitation had significant effects on the fingering pattern when its concentration exceeded a threshold value. Interestingly, the type of effect of the precipitation on the pattern depended on its concentration. At moderate concentration, a straight-shaped finger was observed. At high concentration, the finger was bent in an almost perpendicular direction. The effect of precipitation on the pattern also depended on the ratio of reactant concentrations.
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