title: Autocatalyses.
abstract: Autocatalysis is a fundamental concept, used in a wide range of domains. From the most general definition of autocatalysis, that is, a process in which a chemical compound is able to catalyze its own formation, several different systems can be described. We detail the different categories of autocatalyses and compare them on the basis of their mechanistic, kinetic, and dynamic properties. It is shown how autocatalytic patterns can be generated by different systems of chemical reactions. With the notion of autocatalysis covering a large variety of mechanistic realizations with very similar behaviors, it is proposed that the key signature of autocatalysis is its kinetic pattern expressed in a mathematical form.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1, Hiyoshi, Yokohama, 223-8852 Japan. plasson@applc.keio.ac.jp
authors.forename: Raphaël
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Plasson
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brandenburg
authors.forename: Ludovic
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jullien
authors.forename: Hugues
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bersini