Multiple Equilibria in Complex Chemical Reaction Networks: I. The Injectivity Property

The capacity for multiple equilibria in an isothermal homogeneous continuous flow stirred tank reactor is determined by the reaction network. Examples show that there is a very delicate relationship between reaction network structure and the possibility of multiple equilibria. We suggest a new method for discriminating between networks that have the capacity for multiple equilibria and those that do not. Our method can be implemented using standard computer algebra software and gives answers for many reaction networks for which previous methods give no information.