Response network
In chemistry, in the field of the practical application of reaction kinetics, and thus also in chemical reaction engineering, the reaction network is understood to mean the interconnection of several simple individual reactions to form a more complex overall reaction . In practice, such reactions are far more common than 'simple' reactions, such as those dealt with in the Fundamentals of Reaction Kinetics in Physical Chemistry . The individual reactions are essentially of the following types:
- simple complete reactions: A + B → C
- Equilibrium reactions: A + B ⇌ C
- Parallel reactions A → B // A → C
- Follow-up reactions A → B → C
A possible reaction network would be, for example:
A + S ⇌ AS
AS ⇌ RS
RS ⇌ R + S
This represents the list of the kinetic equations of a catalytic reaction. The type of this network is called, for example, a closed subsequent reaction .
From a formal point of view, equilibrium, parallel and subsequent reactions are in themselves a 'minimal' network.
The reaction kinetics of such complex reactions is often called 'formal kinetics' because it can only be derived formally-mathematically from the experimental data and, as a rule, does not allow any reliable statements about the reaction mechanism. At best, it can be used as an indication of the assumption of a mechanism. The mathematical treatment is carried out with the help of rate equations . The discussion of the properties of such networks is essential for optimizing the specific product performance with the help of a concentration control. A discussion of the individual cases and the methods of their reaction-related treatment would go beyond the scope of an encyclopedic description, so in this case reference is made to the specialist literature.