autocatalytische

Autocatalytic, or autocatalytische in German, describes processes in which a product of a reaction acts as a catalyst for the same reaction or for a subsequent step in the same network. In such systems, the product promotes its own production, creating a self-amplifying cycle. The term is used in chemistry, systems chemistry, and origin-of-life studies to denote self-sustaining reaction dynamics.

In a simple autocatalytic reaction, the catalyst is generated as part of the reaction sequence, and the rate increases as more product catalyst accumulates. This leads to nonlinear kinetics, often with a slow initial phase followed by rapid acceleration and sometimes a sigmoidal, threshold-like behavior. Autocatalysis can occur as a single-step process or within a network where several species mutually catalyze each other’s formation, forming what is called an autocatalytic set.

Autocatalytic systems have broad implications for understanding how complex chemical networks can emerge and sustain themselves. They are studied in experimental chemistry and theoretical models to explore how self-propagating chemistry could arise, for example, in prebiotic environments. In biology, autocatalytic ideas appear in metabolic networks and enzyme-catalyzed processes where feedback loops amplify certain reactions, though the strict chemist’s definition emphasizes the product acting as its own catalyst.

In German-language texts, the adjective autocatalytische is used to describe such reactions or networks. See also autocatalytic set, reaction kinetics, and origin-of-life research for related concepts.