Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction: an open-source approach

Abstract

The time-dependent change in concentration of reactants in the oscillatory Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction defined by non-linear ordinary coupled differential equations has been derived by applying normalized non-dimensional computational methods and presented graphically. The accurate normalisation procedure eschews complex mathematical steps; however, choosing the appropriate references to define the dimensionless variables necessitates a deep physical understanding of the problem. The dimensionless groups are then derived to provide the functional dependences of the unknowns of interest. Finally, to cross-check all the mentioned dependences, a computational simulation has been carried out using domain-specific to general-purpose programming languages. Although there are countless programming languages present to carry out computer simulations, a flexible, portable, and open-source language like python proves fruitful.