The Belousov-Zhabotinsky is an oscillating chemical reaction used to demonstrate aspects of chaos theory that, in turn, is used to model the overall behavior of complex reactions and systems. The Belousov-Zhabotinski (B-Z) reaction is a nonlinear chemical reaction which maintains oscillations and propagating pulses of color.

It was long argued that true oscillating chemical reactions would violate the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Some scientists contended, however, that the second law was simply being misapplied (or oversimplified) for calculations involving non-equilibrium reactions. In 1951 Soviet physicist Boris P. Belousovüs work with candidate chemical oscillators associated with the Krebs cycle, resulted in the discovery of a reaction involving citric acid, acidified bromate, and a ceric salt that oscillated periodically between yellow and clear. Russian physicist, Anatol M. Zhabotinsky continued Belousovüs work and replaced citric acid with malonic acid. When Zhabotinsky left a thin layer of the solution...