An Introduction to Nonlinear Chemical Dynamics: Oscillations, Waves, Patterns, and Chaos (Epstein, I. R.; Pojman, J. A.)

Just a few decades ago, chemical oscillations were thought to be exotic reactions of only theoretical interest. Now known to govern an array of physical and biological processes, including the regulation of the heart, these oscillations are being studied by a diverse group across the sciences. This book is the first introduction to nonlinear chemical dynamics written specifically for chemists. It covers oscillating reactions, chaos, and chemical pattern formation, and includes numerous practical suggestions on reactor design, data analysis, and computer simulations. Assuming only an undergraduate knowledge of chemistry, the book is an ideal starting point for research in the field. The book begins with a brief history of nonlinear chemical dynamics and a review of the basic mathematics and chemistry. The authors then provide an extensive overview of nonlinear dynamics, starting with the flow reactor and moving on to a detailed discussion of chemical oscillators. Throughout the authors emphasize the chemical mechanistic basis for self-organization. The overview is followed by a series of chapters on more advanced topics, including complex oscillations, biological systems, polymers, interactions between fields and waves, and Turing patterns. Underscoring the hands-on nature of the material, the book concludes with a series of classroom-tested demonstrations and experiments appropriate for an undergraduate laboratory.

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Nonlinear Chemical Dynamics In Synthetic Polymer Systems

Chemomechanical Instabilities in Responsive Materials - NATO Science for Peace and Security Series A: Chemistry and Biology ◽

10.1007/978-90-481-2993-5_9 ◽

2009 ◽

pp. 221-240 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

John A. Pojman

Keyword(s):

Synthetic Polymer ◽

Chemical Dynamics ◽

Polymer Systems ◽

Nonlinear Chemical Dynamics

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Multiple time scale based reduction scheme for nonlinear chemical dynamics

The European Physical Journal Special Topics ◽

10.1140/epjst/e2013-01882-3 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 222 (3-4) ◽

pp. 785-798 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

D. Das ◽

D. S. Ray

Keyword(s):

Time Scale ◽

Multiple Time ◽

Chemical Dynamics ◽

Multiple Time Scale ◽

Reduction Scheme ◽

Nonlinear Chemical Dynamics

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Introduction—A Bit of History

An Introduction to Nonlinear Chemical Dynamics ◽

10.1093/oso/9780195096705.003.0006 ◽

1998 ◽

Author(s):

Irving R. Epstein ◽

John A. Pojman

Keyword(s):

Chemical Reactions ◽

Theoretical Biology ◽

Theoretical Work ◽

Living System ◽

Oscillatory Behavior ◽

Chemical Dynamics ◽

Oscillating Reactions ◽

History Of ◽

Satisfactory Answer ◽

Nonlinear Chemical Dynamics

Oscillations of chemical origin have been present as long as life itself. Every living system contains scores, perhaps hundreds, of chemical oscillators. The systematic study of oscillating chemical reactions and of the broader field of nonlinear chemical dynamics is of considerably more recent origin, however. In this chapter, we present a brief and extremely idiosyncratic overview of some of the history of nonlinear chemical dynamics. In 1828, Fechner described an electrochemical cell that produced an oscillating current, this being the first published report of oscillations in a chemical system. Ostwald observed in 1899 that the rate of chromium dissolution in acid periodically increased and decreased. Because both systems were inhomogeneous, it was believed then, and through much of our own century, that homogeneous oscillating reactions were impossible. Degn wrote in 1972 (p. 302): “It is hard to think of any other question which already occupied chemists in the nineteenth century and still has not received a satisfactory answer.” In that same year, though, answers were coming. How it took so long for the nature of oscillating chemical reactions to be understood and how that understanding eventually came about will be the major focus of this chapter. Although oscillatory behavior can be seen in many chemical systems, we shall concentrate primarily on homogeneous, isothermal reactions in aqueous solution. In later chapters, we shall broaden our horizons a bit. While the study of oscillating reactions did not become well established until the mid-1970s, theoretical discussions go back to at least 1910. We consider here some of the early theoretical and experimental work that led up to the ideas of Prigogine on nonequilibrium thermodynamics and to the experimental and theoretical work of Belousov, Zhabotinsky, Field, Körös, and Noyes, all of whom did much to persuade chemists that chemical oscillations, traveling fronts, and other phenomena that now comprise the repertoire of nonlinear chemical dynamics were deserving of serious study. Alfred Lotka was one of the more interesting characters in the history of science. He wrote a handful of theoretical papers on chemical oscillation during the early decades of this century and authored a monograph (1925) on theoretical biology that is filled with insights that still seem fresh today.

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