Spontaneous Formation of Cellular Chemical System that Sustains Itself far from Thermodynamic Equilibrium

We report the observation of the spontaneous formation of a cellular structure in a simple inorganic system. The system is obtained by immersing a pellet of calcium and copper chlorides in an alkali solution containing sodium carbonate, sodium iodide, and hydrogen peroxide. The system produces a cell surrounded by a semipermeable membrane. Reactants diffuse and react inside the cell with copper ions serving as catalyst. The products diffuse out of the cell. The system sustains itself far from thermodynamic equilibrium.