Abstract
Several reaction–diffusion systems that exhibit temporal periodicity when well mixed also display spatio-temporal pattern formation in a spatially distributed, unstirred configuration. These patterns can be travelling (e.g. spirals, concentric circles, plane waves) or stationary in space (Turing structures, standing waves). The behaviour of coupled and forced temporal oscillators has been well studied, but much less is known about the phenomenology of forced and coupled patterns. We present experimental results focusing primarily on coupled patterns in two chemical systems, the chlorine dioxide–iodine–malonic acid reaction and the Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction. The observed behaviour can be simulated with simple chemically plausible models.