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The Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction has long been a paradigmatic system for studying chemical oscillations. Here, we experimentally studied the synchronization control within photochemically coupled star networks of BZ oscillators. Experiments were carried out in wells performed in soda-lime glass constructed using novel laser technologies. Utilizing the inherent oscillatory nature of the BZ reaction, we engineered a star network of oscillators interconnected through photochemical inhibitory coupling. Furthermore, the experimental setup presented here could be extrapolated to more complex network architectures with both excitatory and inhibitory couplings, contributing to the fundamental understanding of synchronization in complex systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gravitational lensing is a general relativistic (GR) phenomenon where a massive object redirects light, deflecting, magnifying, and sometimes multiplying its source. We use reaction-diffusion (RD) Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) chemistry to study this astronomical effect in a table-top experiment. We experimentally observe BZ waves passing through non-planar, quasi-two-dimensional molds and reproduce the waveforms in computer simulations using planar RD waves propagating with variable diffusion. We tune the variable diffusion to match the Schwarzschild-coordinate light speed near a spherical mass so the RD propagation approximates Einstein's famous light deflection relation. We discuss varying the diffusion or reaction rates with a gel matrix or with illumination, electric field, or temperature gradients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the Murray adaptation of the Noyes-Field five-step model of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction in the case when a tuning parameter r, which determines the level of the bromide ion far ahead of the propagating wave, is bigger than 1 and when the delay in generation of the bromous acid is taken into account. The existence of wavefronts in the delayed BZ system was previously established only in the monostable situation with r∈(0,1], the physically relevant bistable situation where r>1 (in real experiments r varies between 5 and 50) was left open. We complete the study by showing that the BZ system with r>1 admits monotone traveling fronts. Note that one of the stable equilibria of the BZ model is not isolated. This circumstance does not allow the direct application of the topological or analytical methods previously elaborated for the analysis of the existence of bistable waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article, published in Frontiers in Physics, discusses the up-and-down motion of a self-propelled bead in conjunction with a Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) chemical oscillation. The study explores the behavior of the bead in a BZ solution and observes that the bead generates a CO2 bubble, which causes it to float to the air/aqueous interface before returning to the bottom of the vessel due to gravity. The authors also investigate the relationship between the motion of the bead and the gas production in the BZ oscillatory reaction. The findings suggest that the BZ reaction could be utilized for a periodic mass transport system. [Extracted from the article]

We use the Tyson-Fife model of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction to numerically investigate the propagation of chemical reaction-diffusion waves through narrow, quasi-one-dimensional channels. We create soft obstacles in the form of activator and inhibitor diffusion coefficient inhomogeneities. Using a Fast Inhibitor Diffusion Region, in which the inhibitor's diffusion is larger than the activator's diffusion, the system can exhibit unidirectional propagation behavior - the diffusion diode. In a light-sensitive BZ-system, we discover a nonlinear compensation relationship between a higher activator diffusion (causing increased wave speed) and illumination (causing decreased wave speed) to achieve normal wave behavior. This enables the creation of a very energy efficient on/off-switch for chemical computation circuits in which a low intensity light pulse can be applied to a diffusion diode to disable wave propagation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prove the existence of the minimal speed of propagation c ⁎ (r , b , K) ∈ [ 2 1 − r , 2 ] for wavefronts in the Belousov-Zhabotinsky system with a spatiotemporal interaction defined by the convolution with (possibly, "fat-tailed") kernel K. The model is assumed to be monostable non-degenerate, i.e. r ∈ (0 , 1). The slowest wavefront is termed pushed or nonlinearly determined if its velocity c ⁎ (r , b , K) > 2 1 − r. We show that c ⁎ (r , b , K) is close to 2 if i) positive system's parameter b is sufficiently large or ii) K is spatially asymmetric to one side (e.g. to the left: in such a case, the influence of the right side concentration of the bromide ion on the dynamics is more significant than the influence of the left side). Consequently, this reveals two reasons for the appearance of pushed wavefronts in the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work presents an approach for studying the kinetics, mechanism, and reactivity of intermediates of a wide class of redox reactions for which the rate-limiting step is the redox decomposition of the intermediate complex. The approach was applied to the investigation of the oxidation of oxalic acid (H2Ox) by cerium(IV) in a sulfuric acid medium as part of the Belousov–Zhabotinsky oscillating reaction (BZ reaction) catalyzed by cerium ions. Experimental, mathematical, and computational methods that are typically used to study metal complexes in a stable oxidation state were kinetically generalized to variable-valence metal complexes and were used to determine the characteristics of intermediate complexes of the cerium(IV)–oxalate reaction and derive a general equation for its rate based on a set of equations describing the rapid achievement of pre-equilibrium in the system and the subsequent nonequilibrium process. A quantitative model of the process was proposed; it included two parallel reaction pathways, for which two different cerium(IV)–oxalate intermediate complexes were identified and characterized. The complexes have similar reactivity, which may be due to the similarity of the structure of their inner coordination spheres and the inner-sphere mechanism of electron transfer in the complexes. Using the developed model, a diagram of the yields of all main species of cerium(IV) under the conditions of the BZ reaction was constructed, which indicates the need to take into account the formation of intermediate complexes of the composition CeOHOx (n = 1, 2) in the oxidation of oxalic acid under these conditions. The main difference between the presented model of the cerium(IV)–oxalate reaction as part of the BZ reaction and the previous models is the explicit consideration of the participation of intermediate complexes of cerium(IV) with oxalic acid anions and sulfate background anions in the reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gravitational lensing is a general relativistic (GR) phenomenon where a massive object redirects light, deflecting, magnifying, and sometimes multiplying its source. We use reaction-diffusion (RD) Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) chemistry to study this astronomical effect in a table-top experiment. We experimentally observe BZ waves passing through non-planar, quasi-two-dimensional molds and reproduce the waveforms in computer simulations using planar RD waves propagating with variable diffusion. We tune the variable diffusion to match the Schwarzschild-coordinate light speed near a spherical mass so the RD propagation approximates Einstein’s famous light deflection relation. We discuss varying the diffusion or reaction rates with a gel matrix or with illumination, electric field, or temperature gradients.

The Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction has long been a paradigmatic system for studying chemical oscillations. Here, we experimentally studied the synchronization control within photochemically coupled star networks of BZ oscillators. Experiments were carried out in wells performed in soda-lime glass constructed using novel laser technologies. Utilizing the inherent oscillatory nature of the BZ reaction, we engineered a star network of oscillators interconnected through photochemical inhibitory coupling. Furthermore, the experimental setup presented here could be extrapolated to more complex network architectures with both excitatory and inhibitory couplings, contributing to the fundamental understanding of synchronization in complex systems.

The intricate regulatory processes behind actin polymerization play a crucial role in cellular biology, including essential mechanisms such as cell migration or cell division. However, the self-organizing principles governing actin polymerization are still poorly understood. In this perspective article, we compare the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction, a classic and well understood chemical oscillator known for its self-organizing spatiotemporal dynamics, with the excitable dynamics of polymerizing actin. While the BZ reaction originates from the domain of inorganic chemistry, it shares remarkable similarities with actin polymerization, including the characteristic propagating waves, which are influenced by geometry and external fields, and the emergent collective behavior. Starting with a general description of emerging patterns, we elaborate on single droplets or cell-level dynamics, the influence of geometric confinements and conclude with collective interactions. Comparing these two systems sheds light on the universal nature of self-organization principles in both living and inanimate systems.

[Display omitted] The synthesis of a new Fe(bathophen) 2 (phen)-based self-oscillating gel driven by the Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction is described. The gel undergoes spontaneous chemomechanical oscillations without any on–off switching by external stimuli and demonstrates the dependence of chemomechanical behavior on the concentration of the catalyst in it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is devoted to study the dynamical behavior of a Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction–diffusion system with nonlocal effect and find the essential difference between it and classical equations. First, we prove the existence of the solution by using the comparison principle and constructing monotonic sequences. Furthermore, the uniqueness is given by using fundamental solution and Gronwall's inequality. Then we obtain the uniform boundedness of the solution by means of auxiliary function. Finally, we investigate the states of the solution as the parameters change and show some new and interesting phenomena about nonlocal Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction–diffusion system by using stability analysis and numerical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hierarchical network of pulse-coupled spike microoscillators (MOs) capable of randomly responding to an external signal has been studied theoretically and experimentally. The network consists of Antenna units, a Central Pattern Generator (CPG), and a Decision-Making unit (DM). The external signal induces antiphase or in-phase oscillations in the microcells included in the Antenna. The CPG also has these two dynamic modes. What mode to accept for the CPG unit in response to the appearance of a dynamic mode in the Antenna is decided by the DM unit. Owing to its configuration, the DM unit makes this decision randomly. Microspheres with oscillating Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction are used as MOs. Pulse coupling between the MOs is carried out by beams of light focused on the MOs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical oscillatory reactions are an example of nonlinear dynamical systems in chemistry. The course of such, redox processes usually require either the presence of a metal catalyst that changes its oxidation state during oscillations, or a catalytic role is played by the intermediates formed from the reactants. Since the discovery of the first oscillatory chemical reaction that took place in a homogeneous phase, many other oscillatory processes have been discovered. One of the most extensively studied and best understood oscillating processes is the Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction, which in its original version involves the oxidation of organic compounds with bromate ions and catalyzed with redox metal catalyst. It is well-known that oscillations in the BZ process are mainly due to complex, multistep reduction processes of bromate ions, which allow positive and negative feedback loops to develop in kinetic mechanisms in a manner that destabilizes the steady-state. In line with this finding, removal of the metal catalyst under appropriate conditions allowed the oscillations to persist, and in this way, a wide class of uncatalyzed bromate oscillators (UBOs) was discovered. In such systems, various organic substrates can be used, e.g., phenols and anilines, as well as non-aromatic compounds, which upon oxidation form stable semiquinone radical intermediates that are capable of substituting the role of a redox catalyst. Several kinetic mechanisms have been proposed to explain the oscillatory instability in such systems. However, detailed mechanisms of UBOs, as well as the source of oscillations, have not yet been recognized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study pertains to the study of ferroin-catalyzed Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ) oscillatory chemical reaction having catechol as an organic substrate in aqueous acid media at 30 ± 0.1 °C under stirred batch conditions. The above system shows oscillations within narrow range of concentration of initial reagents which was monitored potentiometrically in oxidation reduction mode. The system shows a long induction time and a good number of oscillations at 30 ± 0.1 °C. The temperature dependence of the above system was studied. Activation parameters have been calculated, and the results showed good agreement with Arrhenius equation. Thermosensitive polymer, Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAA), was synthesized by conventional method, and the polymer was characterized by different techniques. The catechol-based BZ system with ferroin as a catalyst was perturbed with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAA) monomer and the PNIPAA. Both NIPAA and PNIPAA affected mostly the induction time and number of oscillations. Comparative studies of catechol systems based on Ce(IV) and Mn(II) as metal catalysts were also carried out both in the presence and absence of NIPAA and PNIPAA to explore its oscillatory behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dynamics of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) coupled map lattice (CML) was studied as a model of spatiotemporal pattern. The systematical change of coupling strength and bifurcation parameter led to the shifts in the patterns of the BZ CML. The phase diagram of the BZ CML was different from that of the logistic CML. The phases, such as fully developed turbulence, pattern competition intermittency and pattern selection observed in the logistic CML, appeared in the BZ CML. However, the dynamics of the BZ CML were more sensitive to the coupling strength than those of the logistic CML. In addition, the periodic oscillation phase was observed as small a number of patterns without the domain of chaotic motion. Furthermore, we discussed the difference between the BZ and the logistic CML on the basis of intermittency of chaos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The correlation between BZ reaction and mixing state has been studied for decades, and the researchers are trying to apply it to chemical engineering. We observed a chemical wave pattern in the Belouzov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction based on the inhomogeneity after mixing BZ and ferroin solutions with a mixing method named the rotation-and-stop method. A one-dimensional chemical wave appeared for large inhomogeneity in mixing. The frequency and wavenumber decreased with decreasing degree of inhomogeneity. In an almost perfectly mixed state, the wavenumber significantly reduced and approached the global oscillation. The degree of mixing could be efficiently determined by this reported method. Perfect mixing has never been realized in natural and biological systems. The results of this study can be applied to estimate the degree of mixing in a solution that is not being stirred after the mixing process.

[Display omitted] We report on the synthesis of new Ru(bpy) 2 (phen) catalyst for the oscillatory Belousov–Zhabotinsky chemical reaction and on the preparation of novel Ru(bpy) 2 (phen)-based self-oscillating gels. The synthesized gels exhibit high-amplitude autonomous mechanical oscillations when the Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction proceeds inside these gels [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the modeling interest has increased significantly from molecular level to atomic and quantum levels. Computational chemistry plays a significant role in designing computational models for the operation and simulation of systems ranging from atoms and molecules to industrial processes. It is influenced by a tremendous increase in computing power and the efficiency of algorithms. The representation of chemical reactions using classical automata theory in thermodynamic terms had a great influence on computer science. The study of chemical information processing with quantum computational models is a natural goal. In this study, we have modeled chemical reactions using two-way quantum finite automata, which are halted in linear time. Additionally, classical pushdown automata can be designed for such chemical reactions with multiple stacks. It has been proven that computational versatility can be increased by combining chemical accept/reject signatures and quantum automata models.

Liquid crystalline gels offer promising means in generating smart materials due to programmable mechanics and reversible shape changes in response to external stimuli. We demonstrate a simple and convenient method of constructing catalyst-embedded lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) gels and achieve chemomechanical oscillator by converting chemical waves in Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction. We observe the directed chemical oscillations on LLC sticks accompanied by small-scale oscillatory swellings–shrinkages that are synchronized with the chemical waves of an LLC stick. To amplify the mechanical oscillations, we further fabricate small LLC fibers and achieve macroscopically oscillatory bending–unbending transition of the LLC fiber driven by a BZ reaction.

Chemical traveling waves play an important role in biological functions, such as the propagation of action potential and signal transduction in the nervous system. Such chemical waves are also observed in inanimate systems and are used to clarify their fundamental properties. In this study, chemical waves were generated with equivalent spacing on an excitable medium of the Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction. The homogeneous distribution of the waves was unstable and low- and high-density regions were observed. In order to understand the fundamental mechanism of the observations, numerical calculations were performed using a mathematical model, the modified Oregonator model, including photosensitive terms. However, the homogeneous distribution of the traveling waves was stable over time in the numerical results. These results indicate that further modification of the model is required to reproduce our experimental observations and to discover the fundamental mechanism for the destabilization of the homogeneous-distributed chemical traveling waves.

This paper is concerned with asymptotics and uniqueness of traveling wavefronts for a delayed model of the Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction. It is known that this system admits traveling wavefronts for both monostable and bistable types. In this paper, we further study the monostable case. We first establish the precisely asymptotic behavior of traveling wavefronts with the help of Ikehara's Theorem. Then based on the obtained asymptotic behavior, the uniqueness of the traveling wavefronts is proved by the strong comparison principle and the sliding method, when time delay h ≠ 0 , which complements the uniqueness results obtained by Trofimchuk et al. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work pertains to the study on direct and indirect interaction of a macroporous weak acid cation exchange resin‐Dowex Mac 3H form with Belousov‐Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction based on malonic acid‐cerium‐bromate‐sulfuric acid system. In the direct mode, the above reaction was perturbed by adding 10% (w/w) of Dowex Mac 3H at three different time intervals, i. e., before the start of induction period, during the induction period and after the commencement of oscillations. This mode of interaction was studied to investigate the effect of heterogeneity on the dynamics of BZ reaction. The indirect interaction of the resin was studied by interacting the resin individually with the optimized metal catalyst for a particular period of time after which the supernatant was used as initial reagent in the otherwise optimized BZ system. The interaction was monitored with respect to the change in oscillatory parameters before and after loading the resin with metal catalyst. The selectivity of the resin towards cerium and iron (ferroin) was studied through the said BZ reaction using potentiometry as the main technique. It was found that resin is more selective towards ferroin. The selectivity of the resin towards the various metal ions was followed by their estimation using UV‐Visible spectrophotometry. The effect of solvents on the ion exchange capacity (IEC) of the resin was also studied through the BZ reaction. Some solvents increased its IEC while others decreased it. The potentiometric results obtained were validated by spectroscopic findings and electrochemical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The origin of banding patterns in malachite [Cu2CO3(OH)2] is an enduring problem in geology. While the bright green, vivid colors of this mineral have been attributed to the presence of Cu, no specific process has been proposed that can explain the perfect circularly concentric banding and geometrical shapes in botryoidal malachite. These patterns of concentric equidistant laminations are comparable to those arising from chemically oscillating experiments using the classical reactants of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (B-Z) reaction. Through optical microscopy and micro-Raman imaging, this contribution documents that the geometric centers of the self-similar geometric patterns are often composed of organic matter. Carbon isotopes and trace elements further suggest that non-biological decarboxylation reactions of biological organic matter took place during diagenesis. Hence, the morphological and chemical characteristics of chemically oscillating reactions offer a plausible explanation for the formation of botryoidal malachite and abiotic environmental decarboxylation reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider singularly perturbed parabolic reaction–diffusion problems of scalar and vector types. We construct a discrete Schwarz waveform relaxation method of higher order for their numerical solution. The method is shown to be parameter-uniformly convergent having almost fourth order in space and first order in time. Further, interesting result proven is much faster convergence of iterative process for small perturbation parameter. Numerical results demonstrating the efficiency of the proposed method and validating the theoretically proven convergence results are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

External control of oscillation dynamics in the Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction is important for many applications including encoding computing schemes. When considering the BZ reaction, there are limited studies dealing with thermal cycling, particularly cooling, for external control. Recently, liquid marbles (LMs) have been demonstrated as a means of confining the BZ reaction in a system containing a solid–liquid interface. BZ LMs were prepared by rolling 50 μl droplets in polyethylene (PE) powder. Oscillations of electrical potential differences within the marble were recorded by inserting a pair of electrodes through the LM powder coating into the BZ solution core. Electrical potential differences of up to 100 mV were observed with an average period of oscillation ca 44 s. BZ LMs were subsequently frozen to −1°C to observe changes in the frequency of electrical potential oscillations. The frequency of oscillations reduced upon freezing to 11 mHz cf. 23 mHz at ambient temperature. The oscillation frequency of the frozen BZ LM returned to 23 mHz upon warming to ambient temperature. Several cycles of frequency fluctuations were able to be achieved.

The intricate regulatory processes behind actin polymerization play a crucial role in cellular biology, including essential mechanisms such as cell migration or cell division. However, the self-organizing principles governing actin polymerization are still poorly understood. In this perspective article, we compare the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction, a classic and well understood chemical oscillator known for its self-organizing spatiotemporal dynamics, with the excitable dynamics of polymerizing actin. While the BZ reaction originates from the domain of inorganic chemistry, it shares remarkable similarities with actin polymerization, including the characteristic propagating waves, which are influenced by geometry and external fields, and the emergent collective behavior. Starting with a general description of emerging patterns, we elaborate on single droplets or cell-level dynamics, the influence of geometric confinements and conclude with collective interactions. Comparing these two systems sheds light on the universal nature of self-organization principles in both living and inanimate systems., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Riedl and Sixt.)

In this paper we develop and analyse a Schwarz waveform relaxation (SWR) based domain decomposition method for solving a coupled system of singularly perturbed parabolic reaction-diffusion problems with distinct small positive parameters. The proposed discrete SWR method is based on decomposing the original computational domain into five overlapping subdomains and employing the central difference scheme in spatial direction and the backward Euler scheme in time direction to solve subdomain problems in the iterative steps. Further, we use appropriate interface conditions between space-time subdomain and present the convergence analysis of the method. In particular, it is proved that the proposed method converges uniformly of almost second order in spatial direction and first order in time direction. Finally, some numerical experiments are conducted in support of the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spacetime dynamics of crowds are proved to be like dynamics of perturbation waves propagating in an excitable nonlinear medium. This analogy is developed further by studying the propagation of excitation--as represented by the two-variable Oregonator model of the Belousov- Zhabotinsky medium--and by then providing a thorough explanatory application study of the dynamics of excitation on Barcelona street networks considering crowd movement. In more detail, two characteristic areas of Barcelona--Gràcia and Raval--recently in the spotlight due to emerging situations, are analyzed in the context of the proposed study. The computer experiments performed show how an excitability of the medium affects the propagation dynamics. It is demonstrated that with decreasing excitability, the spanning of the street networks by an excitation wavefront shows evidence of pruning toward wider and ballistically plausible pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we illustrate an efficient application of chemical medium for information processing. We investigate database classifiers constructed with a network of interacting chemical oscillators. Databases considered here are composed of records, where each record contains a number of parameters (predictors) characterizing the case and the output variable describing the case type. In a series of recent papers we have discussed the top-down design of database classifiers, that return output information as the number of excitations observed at a selected oscillator of the network. The design is based on an evolutionary algorithm that optimizes the network to achieve maximum mutual information between the network evolution and the record types. We discuss results illustrating that such classifiers do have a predicting ability. They are able to give a correct classification for database records that are not included into the process of classifier training. As example databases we consider points inside a multidimensional unit cube and test if they belong to a ball located at the mid of the cube. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adapted numerical schemes for the integration of differential equations generating periodic wavefronts have reported benefits in terms of accuracy and stability. This work is focused on differential equations modelling chemical phenomena which are characterized by an oscillatory dynamics. The adaptation is carried out through the exponential fitting technique, which is specially suitable to follow the apriori known qualitative behavior of the solution. In particular, we have merged this strategy with the information coming from existing theoretical studies and especially the observation of time series. Numerical tests will be provided to show the effectiveness of this problem-oriented approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Periodical transformation of ferroin to ferriin is accompanied by changes in magnetic properties of liquids during Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction malonic acid, sodium bromide, sodium bromate, ferroin, and sulfuric acid. Instead of the earlier studied oscillation of microwave conductivity accompanying an oscillating reaction, we propose a flash technique to interrupt the BZ reaction by rapid freezing. Rapid cooling of a solution during chemical oscillations results in a frozen system with a fixed concentration of paramagnetic centers Fe3+. EPR spectrum recorded at different stages of the interrupted reaction corresponds to the exact concentration of the ferroin and ferriin components. Following unfreezing unblocks the BZ reaction, and oscillations are still observed. A simulated spectrum allows one to distinguish two groups of Fe3+ ions of different symmetries. The obtained results are important to explain the earlier observed effect of inhomogeneous magnetic field on BZ reaction front velocity.

Abstract: The direct synthesis of block copolymer vesicles on the scale of tens to hundreds of nanometers using reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) dispersion polymerization as an effect of chemical oscillations is reported. RAFT polymerization is successfully accomplished between polyethylene glycol containing a RAFT agent (PEG‐CTA) and ethyl acrylate monomer in the presence of the Belousov–Zhabotinsky (B‐Z) reaction in oscillatory mode. The self‐assembly of poly(ethylene glycol)‐b‐poly(ethyl acrylate) unimers gives rise to spherical micelles. The self‐assembled micelles reorganize and transform to vesicles. All the chemistry of polymerization, self‐assembly and self‐organization, of macromolecules takes place in a single pot using only a few simple raw materials in aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An alternative approach using visible chemical waves for ethanol determination is presented. The method is based on the dynamic change of chemical waves in the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction by perturbation with ethanol. The observablepropagating waves, generatedina Petri dish, can be recorded by using a smartphone camera. The propagating distances are measured from photographic images and then plotted as a function of time to attain the wave velocity. It is found that wave velocities are inversely proportional to ethanol concentrations. By using this linear relationship, the ethanol content can be efficiently quantified with good intra-day and inter-day precision (<3% RSD). Validated by the GC technique, the developed method is highly reliable and successfully applied for quantifying the ethanol content in beer, colored whisky, and vodka samples. Hence, this new method provides an alternative practical strategy for simple quantitative detection of ethanol without the need for instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]