Circuit Theory for Chemical Reaction Networks

We lay the foundation of a circuit theory for chemical reaction networks. Chemical reactions are grouped into chemical modules solely characterized by their current-concentration characteristic, as electrical devices by their current-voltage (I-V) curve in electronic circuit theory. This, combined with the chemical analog of Kirchhoff’s current and voltage laws, provides a powerful tool to predict reaction currents and dissipation across complex chemical networks. The theory can serve to build accurate reduced models of complex networks as well as to design networks performing desired tasks.