Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction

Be·lo·u·sov-Zha·bo·tin·sky reaction | \ ˌbe-lə-ˈü-ˌsȯf-zhä-bə-ˈtin-skē-

variants: or less commonly Belousov-Zhabotinskii reaction \ ˌbe-lə-ˈü-ˌsȯf-zhä-bə-ˈtin-skē-

How to pronounce Belousov-Zhabotinskii reaction (audio)

Definition of Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction

chemistry

: any of a class of autocatalytic chemical reactions characterized by the creation of a self-sustaining repeating pattern Chemical computing owes its power to an intriguing but complex piece of chemistry called the Belousov-Zhabotinsky or BZ reaction.— Duncan Graham-Rowe, New Scientist, 26 Mar. 2005

— called also BZ reaction

History and Etymology for Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction

after Boris Pavlovich Belousov †1970 and Anatoliĭ Markovich Zhabotinskiĭ †2008 Russian chemists

Note: The story of the discovery of the reaction by Belousov (1893-1970) in 1951 and its subsequent re-elaboration and description by Žabotinskij (1938-2008) in the early 1960’s have been detailed in a number of sources in English and Russian, such as A.T. Winfree, “The Prehistory of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky Oscillator,” Journal of Chemical Education, vol. 61, no. 8 (August, 1984), pp. 661-63.

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Cite this Entry

“Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Belousov-Zhabotinsky%20reaction. Accessed 24 Oct. 2020.