Chemical Oscillations around Steady States of Cooperative Linear Macromolecules

This paper presents a theoretical investigation of the kinetic behavior of a system of linear macromolecules undergoing an irreversible quasiphase transition. A one-dimensional Ising lattice with nearest-neighbor dependent rate constants is used to represent the macromolecular system. A steady state of intermediate sequence concentrations is established by a constant flow of reactant from the outside. It is shown for the first time that damped chemical oscillations in this system may occur around the steady state only if the quasiphase change has a minimum cooperativity. The chemical oscillations arise as a consequence of both the quasiautocatalytic nature of the transition and the irreversibility of the kinetic processes. The effect of the degree of cooperativity on the period of oscillation, the damping factor per period, the rate of reactant in-flow, and the steady state concentrations are discussed.