Local Structures in Chemical Reactions with Heterogeneous Catalysis

Abstract

In the presence of heterogeneous catalysis, time independent local, undulatory inhomogeneities may occur (1) in chemical systems which are stable and may never have symmetry‐breaking transitions to (global) dissipative structures, and (2) in chemical systems which may have such transitions, but then the local structure appears under far less restrictive conditions. The results of the theory are demonstrated with two reaction mechanisms, one due to Prigogine and Lefever, the other to Lotka and Volterra. Local structures may serve better in a role in morphogenesis than global ones. Experiments on spatial patterns must distinguish between global and local structure.