Transient Turing Structures in a Gradient-Free Closed System
István Lengyel 1,
Sándor Kádár 2, and
Irving R. Epstein 3
1 Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02254
2 Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02254, and Institute of General and Analytical Chemistry, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
3 Department of Chemistry and Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02254
Transient, symmetry-breaking, spatial patterns were obtained in a closed, gradient-free, aqueous medium containing chlorine dioxide, iodine, malonic acid, and starch at 4° to 5°C. The conditions under which these Turing-type structures appear can be accurately predicted from a simple mathematical model of the system. The patterns, which consist of spots, stripes, or both spots and stripes, require about 25 minutes to form and remain stationary for 10 to 30 minutes.
Submitted on September 4, 1992
Accepted on November 20, 1992
