Analysis of complex oscillatory dynamics of a pH oscillator

Reaction systems that display pronounced periodic and aperiodic variations in the pH value of the reaction medium are known as pH oscillators. A member of this family of reactions studied here, the Cu(II)-catalyzed oxidation of thiosulfate by hydrogen peroxide in acidic solution, is known to display a rich variety of oscillatory dynamics. We focus on experimental time series showing complex aperiodic dynamics that simultaneously possesses the characteristics of period-doubled large-amplitude oscillations and irregular small-amplitude oscillations reminiscent of mixed-mode dynamics. An analysis based on the reconstruction of the attractor from the measured time series by two different methods and subsequent calculation of the maximal Lyapunov exponent reveals that this interesting dynamical regime is a manifestation of deterministic chaos.