A New Model for Oscillatory Behaviour in Closed Systems: The Autocatalator

In closed systems, chemical oscillations cannot go on for ever, but must die away. This paper presents a new/simple, self consistent prototype for such non‐stationary behaviour. No self‐heating is involved: conditions are isothermal. Matter is conserved. The model scheme is: It is centred on cubic autocatalysis (I), in which the catalyst itself decays slowly (2); there is a small contribution from a direct step (3). There is a precursor, initially in excess, that slowly generates the intermediate A.—This scheme describes a reaction that begins and ends in a monotonic way yet has a finite set of oscillatory excursions in between. There is no multiplicity and no stationary state until reaction is completed, and there are no limit cycles. Reaction follows a unique path.