Pattern formation and symmetry-breaking bifurcations fueled by dissipationof chemical energy: a possible model for morphogenesis?

A solution containing a reacting, autocatalytic and bistable chemical syste m can spontaneously form patterns and structure from erstwhile homogenous a queous reaction solutions. Among some of the patterns formed are concentric rings and thermal plumes. The exothermic chemical reaction fuels the patte rn-formation through a coupling of Marangoni and Rayleigh-Benard-type therm ogravitational effects. The thermogravitational effects arise from multicom ponent convection which fuels the formation of salt fingers. These fingers later curl upwards to form thermal plumes. The concentric patterns result f rom the formation of a complete convective torus. The formation a series of stationary convective tori suggest that there is a possibility of other me chanisms in solution which can form Turing-like patterns.