The Amazingly Fantastic BZ Oscillating Soup

And its Connections to Life, the Universe and More

Boris Belousov 1893-1970

Discovered and investigated the reaction ~ 1952

Had difficulty in publication

Anatol Zhabotinsky 1938-2008

Investigated the reaction further1960’s

Now called

The Belousov – Zhabotinski Oscillating Reaction

or B-Z

B-Z Components

Sulfuric Acid

Potassium Bromate

Cerium (IV) Sulfate (catalyst)

Malonic Acid

Ferroin (indicator and catalyst)

B-Z Oscillations

Watch 1st 35 seconds

B-Z mechanism 1969

Five basic steps, each thermodynamically possible, explained how B-Z reaction

worked.

B-Z Oscillations

Necessary Conditions:

Non-linear reactions

Positive Feedback

Negative Feedback

Time delay between reactions

B-Z Connections

The Bray-Liebhafsky Oscillating Reaction

1918

Acid, potassium iodate,

hydrogen peroxide

B-Z Connections

The Briggs-Rauscher Oscillating Reaction

1972

Acid, malonic acid, catalyst,

potassium iodate, hydrogen peroxide

B-Z Connections

Many more chemical oscillators in CSTRs

(Continuously Stirred Tank Reactors)

Flow reactor

B-Z Connections

Hundreds more oscillators discovered

B-Z Connections

Mathematical Techniques

COmplex PAthway SImulator

COPASI

Uses differential equations

Differential equations

Rate is proportional to concentrations to some power

dx/dt = -k xm yn

Computer can calculate x and y at any time

B-Z Applications

Chemical Control of Rhythms

B-Z Connections

Biological Oscillators

Biological Rhythms

Time Scale   Biological Rhythms

Time Scale

          Neural rhythms

0.001 s to 10 s   Ovarian cycle 28 days (human)

Cardiac rhythm

1 s   Annual rhythms 1 year

Calcium oscillations

Seconds to minutes      

Biochemical oscillations

30 s to 20 min   Rhythms in ecology and epidemiology

years

Mitotic oscillator

10 min to 24 h      

Hormonal rhythms

10 min to 3 – 5 h (24 h)

     

Circadian Rhythms

Chemical Control of Rhythms

B-Z Target Waves

Tidal Map

B-Z Connections

Structure from Homogeneity

Ilya Prigogine received Nobel Prize in 1977 for work on irreversible thermodynamics

(far from equilibrium)

Far from equilibrium,

energy may be converted into structure.

Implications for development of patterns

and for development of life on Earth

B-Z Applications

Slime mold patterns

Slime Mold

Slime Mold

Slime Moldgrowing in Petri dish

Slugs form, ~ 25 secondsStalks form, ~ 35 seconds

BZ target waves

B-Z spiral waves

Watch what happens to waves when cut at 11 and 13 seconds;

(spiral waves form)

B-Z Connections

Geology

B-Z Connections

Geology

B-Z Connections

Structure from Homogeneity

Turing Patterns

Turing Patterns

Alan Turing, British mathematician

1912-1954

Alan Turing, best known for breaking the German enigma code in WWII.

Also envisioned computers that could have code in memory and be programmed for

many tasks

Known as Father of Artificial Intelligence

Turing Patterns

“The Chemical Basis for Morphogenesis”

Developed a theory of combined reaction – diffusion which predicted oscillatory chemical

reactions and pattern formation (1952).

Patterns now called Turing patterns.

First realized experimentally in 1990s

B-Z Connections

Structure from Homogeneity

Turing Patterns

B-Z Connections

Structure from Homogeneity

Turing Patterns

B-Z Connections

Structure from Homogeneity

Turing Patterns

Not only visual patterns, but also morphogenesis

the development of body shapes and limbs.

Caused by diffusional waves of molecules across developing stem cells

Caused by diffusional waves of molecules across developing stem cells

2014: Confirmation of Turing’s theory

Using microdroplets of the B-Z reaction

dispersed in oil;

representing individual cells

Structure from Homogeneity

Turing Patterns

B-Z Connections

Coupled Oscillators

B-Z Connections

Coupled Oscillators

Human organs

Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)Master clock

B-Z Connections

Excitable media

Nerve transmission

Heart rhythms

B-Z Connections

Spiral waves

Scroll waves

Heart rhythms

Scroll waves

B-Z Target Waves

Heart Arrhythmias

scroll down to Figures 13, 14, 15, 16

Heart Rhythms

choose from :”Select a condition”below beating heart

B-Z Connections

Weather

Orbital Diagram

B-Z Connections

Route to Chaos

Orbital Diagram

B-Z Connections

Cosmology?

Spiral galaxy

Spiral galaxy

That's All, Folks

B-Z Connections

Coupled Oscillators

B-Z Connections

Coupled Oscillators

B-Z Core reactions Process A2

5Br- + BrO

3

- + 6H+ → Br2 + H2O A1

3(Br2 + CH2(COOH)2 → BrCH

2(COOH)2 + Br

- + H

+) A2

Net Process A1 +Process A2

2Br- + BrO

3

- + 3CH

2(COOH)2 + 3H+ →

3 BrCH2(COOH)2 + 3H2O

B-Z Core reactions Process B

HBrO2 + BrO3

- + H+ → 2BrO2

. + H2O

2(BrO2. + Ce(III) + H

+ → Ce(IV) + HBrO2)

HBrO2 + BrO3

- + 2Ce(III) + 3H+ →

2Ce(IV) + 2HBrO2 + H2O

HBrO2 + HBrO2 → HOBr + H+

+ BrO3

-

B-Z Core reactions

Net Process B

BrO3

- + 4Ce(III) + 5H+ →

4Ce(IV) + 2HOBr + 2H2O

B-Z Core reactions

Net (unbalanced) Process C

BrCH2(COOH)2 + BrO

3

- + Ce(IV) + HOBr →

Ce(III) + Br- + H2O + CO2

B-Z Core reactions

A bromate + bromide + MA → BrMA

B bromate + Ce(III) → HOBr + Ce(IV)

C Ce(IV) + BrMA → Br- + Ce(III) + CO2