Thermodynamics of Concentration vs Flux Control in Chemical Reaction Networks

Abstract

We investigate the thermodynamic implications of two control mechanisms of open chemical reaction networks. e rst controls the concentrations of the species that are exchanged with the surroundings, while the other controls the exchange uxes. We show that the two mechanisms can be mapped one into the other and that the thermodynamic theories usually developed in the framework of concentration control can be applied to ux control as well.is implies that the thermodynamic potential and the fundamental forces driving chemical reaction networks out of equilibrium can be identi ed in the same way for both mechanisms. By analyzing the dynamics and thermodynamics of a simple enzymatic model we also show that, while the two mechanisms are equivalent a steady state, the ux control may lead to fundamentally di erent regimes where systems achieve stationary growth.