Chemical oscillations arise solely from kinetic nonlinearity and hence can occur near equilibrium

A minimal kinetic scheme for a system displaying sustained chemical oscillations is presented. The system is isothermal, and all steps in the scheme are kinetically reversible. The oscillations are analyzed and the crucial points elucidated. Both positive and negative feedback, if properly introduced, support oscillations, provided the state responsible for feedback is optimally buffered. It is shown that the requisite nonlinearity is introduced at the kinetic level because of feedback regulation and not, as is usually assumed, by large affinities that introduce nonlinearity at the thermodynamic level. Hence, sustained oscillations may occur near equilibrium.