Intermittent chaos in the model of Bray–Liebhafsky reaction

Abstract

This study investigates the model of Bray–Liebhafsky (BL) reaction with aim to identify possible mechanism of emerging intermittent chaos in chemical systems. Through both classic kinetic approaches and stoichiometric network analysis (SNA), we successfully simulate a range of dynamic states, including intermittent oscillations characterized by chaotic mixtures of large and small amplitude bursts. The findings emphasize the importance of reaction pathways and the geometry of slow manifolds in influencing the stability and oscillatory behaviour of the BL reaction. For the first time the model replicates significant experimental observations, including oscillation symmetry, which has been challenging in previous studies. Parameter scaling was crucial for aligning numerical simulations with realistic concentration ranges and oscillation periods. Future research will refine the model to improve the correspondence between experimental and simulated dynamics and explore the implications of identified bifurcations for broader classes of nonlinear reaction systems, contributing to a deeper understanding of oscillatory reactions in chemical engineering.