Abstract

The quasi-steady state assumption is frequently invoked in the analysis of differential equations for chemical reaction systems, with the principal purpose of reducing the dimension.

Often, the reduction is performed in a formal manner, with little regard for actually proving (asymptotic) correctness of the procedure, although some handwaving towards Tikhonov′s theorem in singular perturbation theory may be included.

In the talk we will rigorously investigate necessary and sufficient conditions for applicability of Tikhonov′s and Fenichel′s theory to a system depending on a small parameter. By examples we show that (and how) the procedure produces results, which in some cases differ from those commonly accepted.