TCE

The Chemical Educator

ISSN: 1430-4171 (electronic version)

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Abstract Volume 1 Issue 4 (1996), S1430-4171(96)04042-3

The Computer Simulation of Oscillating Reactions

Sidney Toby

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08855

Published online: 30 September1996

Abstract. A method, suitable for undergraduates, is given for simulating oscillating reactions. The program used is free of copyright and when used with a fast PC will integrate a typical oscillating mechanism in under a minute. The examples evaluated are the Lotka damped mechanism, the Lotka undamped mechanism, and the Oregonator description of the Belousov­Zhabotinskii reaction. Limit plots of the Lotka mechanisms yield good representations of damped and undamped oscillations. The Oregonator shows the typical period of induction before the system starts to oscillate. Questions for students are given.

Key Words: Computers in Chemistry; oscillations; dynamic simulation; kinetics; teaching simulation

(*) Corresponding author. (E-mail: toby@rutchem.rutgers.edu)

Article in PDF format (101 KB)

Supporting Materials:

A copy of the program may be downloaded. AC40.EXE and LJPLOT.EXE are the two parts of the kinetics simulation program. (103 KB)

Issue date: September 30 , 1996

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