autokatalüütiliste

Autokatalüütiliste is a term derived from Greek, meaning "self-catalytic." It describes a process where a substance or reaction product acts as a catalyst for its own formation. In simpler terms, the product of a chemical reaction speeds up the reaction that created it. This concept is crucial in understanding various chemical and biological phenomena.

Autokatalysis is often observed in complex reaction networks. For instance, in certain chain reactions, the intermediate products can catalyze further steps in the chain, leading to a rapid acceleration of the overall process. This acceleration can result in a sigmoidal, or S-shaped, curve when plotting the concentration of a product over time, as opposed to a simple exponential increase.

A well-known example of autokatalysis occurs in the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction, a classic oscillating chemical reaction. In this system, intermediate species catalyze subsequent steps, leading to oscillatory behavior in the concentrations of reactants and products. Autokatalytic processes are also fundamental to the origin and evolution of life, as they can explain how complex organic molecules might have arisen from simpler precursors in early Earth conditions. The concept of autokatalysis is important in fields ranging from organic chemistry and biochemistry to materials science and theoretical chemistry.