Aggregate phase patterns

The aggregated phase pattern was evident within a few minutes after dissolution for solutions prepared from hydrolyzed cellulose of DP 35 in 23.6/75/1.4 NH3/NH4SCN/H2O (see Figure 5). 

Figure 5. Aggregated anisotropic phase pattern solvent composition, 23.6/75.0/1.4, NH3/NH4SCN/H2O cellulose concentration, 20g/100mL, immediately after dissolution.

An oscillating mechanism also appears to be at work in the aggregation phase of cellular slime molds. And these are not the only biological examples of chentical oscillations. One theory of the formation of fur patterns in animals, such as a leopard s spots, assumes that an oscillating reaction occurs in the skin of the embryo, which eventually generates the fur pattern you see in the adult. A similar theory has been used to explain striped patterns on seasheUs. The rhythmic beat of your heart is an example where the concentrations of substances oscillate in time. Who would have thought that sUme molds and leopards spots had anything in common ... 

Contaminants may reach the subsurface in a gaseous phase, dissolved in water, as an immiscible hquid, or as suspended particles. Contaminant partitioning in the subsurface is controlled by the physicochemical properties and the porosity of the earth materials, the composition of the subsurface water, as well as the properties of the contaminants themselves. While the physicochemical and mineralogical characteristics of the subsurface sohd phase define the retention capacity of contaminants, the porosity and aggregation stams determine the potential volume of liquid and air that are accessible for contaminant redistribution among the subsurface phases. Enviromnental factors, such as temperature and water content in the subsurface prior to contamination, also affect the pollution pattern. 

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