SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS OF MULTIPLE CHEMICAL-EQUILIBRIA - SENSITIVITY COEFFICIENTS AND RESPONSE EQUILIBRIA

For general multiple chemical equilibria it is shown that both the Hes sian determinant and the sensitivity coefficients may be presented as sums of contributions coming from two distinct classes of reactions, w hich we call Hessian and non-Hessian response equilibria (HEQs and NHE Qs, respectively), and pairs thereof. This approach is shown to be equ ivalent to another one in which the Hessian determinant and the sensit ivity coefficients are treated in terms of contributions coming solely from HEQs and their pairwise interactions. The results obtained in th is work hold irrespective of the type of kinetics (linear or nonlinear ) by means of which the equilibrium state is achieved. (C) 1995 Americ an Institute of Physics.