An Introduction to Turing Patterns in Nonlinear Chemical Kinetics

Although Turing determined the general conditions for the formation of spatial patterns in 1952, it was not until 1990 that De Kepper and co-workers were able to obtain patterns in a chemical system. Since then, spatial patterns in chemical systems have been an active area of research. In this paper we use an algebraically workable model, the Templator, to introduce students to the field of pattern formation in chemical systems. The Templator model is simple enough that numerical analysis with available software packages is accessible to advanced students of physical chemistry. Additionally, this paper provides a general background on Turing patterns and shows how Mathematica can be used to reproduce these patterns.