Kinetic and related models with applications in the natural sciences

Chemical reaction networks, mass-action kinetics, and the Boltzmann equation

Gheorghe Craciun

University of Wisconsin-Madison

The standard mathematical model for the dynamics of concentrations in chemical reaction networks is called mass-action kinetics. We describe mass-action kinetics and discuss the connection between special classes of mass-action systems (such as detailed balanced and complex balanced systems) and the Boltzmann equation. We also describe the connection between the "global attractor conjecture" for complex balanced mass-action systems and Boltzmann's H-theorem.