Chemical oscillations Connections Oscillations Commentary

Boris Pavlovich Belousov, Anatoly Zhabotinsky chemistry

Chemical oscillations

• Belousov made a solution of inorganic chemicals
• that changed between yellow and clear all by itself,
• seemingly in violation of the zeroth law of thermodynamic equilibrium.
• Zhabotinsky investigated the reaction in detail
• and showed that non-linear chemical oscillations in a petri dish
• can be self-organizing, forming expanding rings or spirals.

Connections

• Zhabotinsky was a graduate student
• of Simon El’evich Shnoll, a friend of Belousov
• who encouraged Belousov to publish his discovery.
• Belousov gave up on his work
• and gave his notes to Shnoll. Subsequently,
• Shnoll interested Zhabotinsky in continuing the work.

Oscillations

• Belousov was looking for a non-organic
• equivalent of a metabolic process.
• Today scientists study Belousov-Zhabotinsky reactions
• for making organic computers.