Reaktiarku

Reaktiarku is a term used in theoretical chemistry and systems science to describe a class of reaction networks that exhibit rapid, self-amplifying dynamics driven by positive feedback and autocatalysis. In a reaktiarku network, certain reaction steps produce products that further accelerate the production of the same or related species, creating cascades or abrupt transitions in the system’s state. The concept is primarily used in abstract modeling and computer simulations to study nonlinear dynamics rather than as a description of a specific laboratory reaction.

The term appears in the contemporary literature as a neologism coined to capture a particular flavor of autocatalytic networks. It is not universally standardized and may appear with varying definitions across sources. The word draws on the sense of reaction (reakti) combined with an ending that evokes a structured network or ark-like organization (arku), signaling an interconnected, self-propagating system.

Mechanistically, reaktiarku behaviors arise from nonlinear rate laws, autocatalytic feedback loops, and, in many models, diffusion or transport that spreads the activated state. Mathematically, they are studied using nonlinear differential equations, showing phenomena such as bistability, oscillations, and traveling reaction fronts under appropriate conditions. In simulations, even small perturbations can trigger system-wide activation once a threshold is crossed.

Applications are largely theoretical and exploratory, including chemical computing concepts, smart materials, and the study of complex system dynamics. Real-world realization remains an area of active research and debate.

See also: autocatalysis, reaction-diffusion systems, nonlinear dynamics, chemical computing.