STUDY #01 · 2026 · OBSERVED

Belousov–Zhabotinsky Reaction

A model-driven visual study of oscillating chemical patterns.

MOVING IMAGE — FIVE MOODS birth · order · energy · density · ignition

WHAT IS THIS

The Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction is a chemical reaction that refuses to reach equilibrium. Instead of settling, its oxidation state oscillates in time; spread across a shallow dish, those oscillations couple with diffusion and travel outward as concentric target waves and rotating spirals. It is a textbook example of an excitable medium.

This study runs a two-variable Oregonator model — a reduced form of the reaction — as a reaction-diffusion field in real time on the GPU. Nothing is scripted: the waves emerge from the equations, and the parameters were swept by hand to find the regimes that read as images.

spiral pair with target rings quadrants · f 1.8 · q 0.001 · ε 0.035

Motif BZ reaction / Oregonator model / reaction–diffusion

Method A small simulator was generated and modified with AI assistance, then ported to a real-time GPU (GLSL) renderer. The visual output was selected through parameter exploration.

Observation Certain parameter regions produced rotating spiral wave trains, radiating targets, bubbling front breakup, and labyrinthine turbulence. Colour follows the catalyst's oxidation state.

Reference J. J. Tyson & P. C. Fife, "Target patterns in a realistic model of the Belousov-Zhabotinskii reaction," The Journal of Chemical Physics, vol.73, 2224-2237 (1980).

Tools Python / NumPy / three.js / React / GLSL / ffmpeg / AI coding assistant

Year 2026

This is not a scientific simulation result, but a visual interpretation of the phenomenon.

PARAMETERS EXPLORED

param meaning effect on the image

f stoichiometric factor sets the morphology — low: coarse turbulence · ≈1.6: dense spiral turbulence · ≈2.0: clean targets & spirals · ≥2.4: the field dies

ε timescale ratio (u vs v) the width of the wavefront — 0.02: sharp one-pixel gold lines · 0.08: soft painterly bands

q small positive constant how readily waves propagate; smaller values let waves rise more easily

init initial condition the global structure — a point → targets · quadrants → spirals & arches · noise → turbulence

Dv / Du diffusion ratio 0 (catalyst fixed, as in a gel) keeps waves crisp; higher values blur and can quench the field

Each image below records its exact parameter set.

SELECTED STILLS — 6

spiral with bubbling front breakup quadrants · f 1.8 · q 0.001 · ε 0.020

cellular target field noise · f 1.8 · q 0.001 · ε 0.035

fine labyrinth turbulence noise · f 1.2 · q 0.0005 · ε 0.050

large-scale maze & ring domains noise · f 1.6 · q 0.001 · ε 0.050

concentric diamond wave train quadrants · f 1.4 · q 0.002 · ε 0.050

COLOUR = REAL PHYSICS

In a real BZ dish, the colour you see is the metal catalyst switching oxidation state. In the model, the slow variable v is the fraction of oxidised catalyst — so colour is mapped to v, not to the wave's leading edge.

The four plates opposite are the same wave field — identical seed, identical step — rendered through four real catalysts. Ferroin's red ⇄ blue is the most vivid, which is why it became the icon of the reaction; cerium is barely there, and that low contrast is exactly why chemists reach for ferroin.

The site palette — weaver, deep navy ⇄ ivory — is a house colourway rather than a literal catalyst. All colours are artistic approximations of the reported indicator colours, not spectroscopic measurements.

Ferroin — red ⇄ blue — Ferroin Fe²⁺ ⇄ Fe³⁺ · red ⇄ blue

Cerium — colourless ⇄ yellow — Cerium Ce³⁺ ⇄ Ce⁴⁺ · colourless ⇄ yellow

Ruthenium — orange ⇄ green — Ruthenium Ru²⁺ ⇄ Ru³⁺ · orange ⇄ green

Manganese — pale ⇄ amber — Manganese Mn²⁺ ⇄ Mn³⁺ · pale ⇄ amber

Same pattern, palette only — f 1.8 · q 0.001 · ε 0.035 · seed 5.

REFERENCES

A. N. Zaikin & A. M. Zhabotinsky, "Concentration Wave Propagation in Two-dimensional Liquid-phase Self-oscillating System," Nature, vol.225, 535-537 (1970).
R. J. Field, E. Körös & R. M. Noyes, "Oscillations in Chemical Systems. II. Thorough Analysis of Temporal Oscillation in the Bromate-Cerium-Malonic Acid System," Journal of the American Chemical Society, vol.94, 8649-8664 (1972).
R. J. Field & R. M. Noyes, "Oscillations in chemical systems. IV. Limit cycle behavior in a model of a real chemical reaction," The Journal of Chemical Physics, vol.60, 1877-1884 (1974).
J. J. Tyson & P. C. Fife, "Target patterns in a realistic model of the Belousov-Zhabotinskii reaction," The Journal of Chemical Physics, vol.73, 2224-2237 (1980).

INTERACTIVE STUDY

A small window into the model behind this study — a deliberately simplified instrument, reduced in resolution, scope, and rendering. The finished works above are something else entirely: parameters swept, frames chosen, and graded by hand from the full engine. This exists so you can feel how the field responds.

SIMPLIFIED INSTRUMENTOREGONATOR — 2 VAR · LIVE

This interactive study is not intended as a scientifically validated reproduction. It is a visual interpretation generated from an implemented model and curated parameter exploration — and it is a deliberately simplified instrument, separate from the full engine used to author the finished works.