IRVING R. EPSTEIN
Brandeis University
JOHN A. POJMAN
University of Southern Mississippi
"This book belongs within easy reach of any person either working in the area or in daily contact with people, especially students, who nowadays hear of these topics from many sources and who wish to learn more about them."
Journal of Chemical Education
"This is the not the first book written on the subject but it may be the most readable."
Journal of the American Chemical Society
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.
480 pp., 39 halftones, 206 linecuts, 6-1/8 x 9-1/4
$70.00w, 0-19-509670-3
October 1998
Reviews:
April, 2000 Journal of Chemical Education
2000, Journal of the American Chemical Society
Contents
Part I. Overview
1. Introduction - A Bit of History 3
2. Fundamentals 17
3. Apparatus 47
4. Synthesis of Chemical Oscillations 62
5. Analysis of Chemical Oscillations 83
6. Waves and Patterns 109
7. Computational Tools 139
Part II. Special Topics
8. Complex Oscillations and Chaos 163
9. Transport and External Field Effects 191
10. Delays and Differential Delay Equations 210
11. Polymer Systems 231
12. Coupled Oscillators 255
13. Biological Oscillators 282
14. Turing Patterns 299
15. Stirring and Mixing Effects 324
Appendix 1
A1.1 The Briggs-Rauscher Reaction 346
A1.2 The Belousov-Zhabotinsky Reaction 347
A1.3 BZ Waves 348
A1.4 A Propagating pH front 349
Appendix 2
Experiments for the Undergraduate Lab
A2.1 Frontal Polymerization 351
A2.2 Oscillations in the Homogeneous Belousov-Zhabotinsky Reaction 353
A2.3 Unstirred BZ System 356
"Measuring Rate Constants with a Ruler"
References 360
About the Authors:
Irving
R. Epstein is the Helena Rubenstein Professor of Chemistry and Provost
at Brandeis Univeristy.
John A. Pojman is a professor of Chemistry
& Biochemistry at the University of Southern Mississippi.