A Unified Approach to Gated Reactions on Networks

Abstract

For two molecules to react they first have to meet. Yet, reaction times are rarely on par with the first-passage times that govern such molecular encounters. A prime reason for this discrepancy is stochastic transitions between reactive and non-reactive molecular states, which results in effective gating of product formation and altered reaction kinetics. To better understand this phenomenon we develop a unifying approach to gated reactions on networks. We first show that the mean and distribution of the gated reaction time can always be expressed in terms of ungated first-passage and return times. This relation between gated and ungated kinetics is then explored to reveal universal features of gated reactions. The latter are exemplified using a diverse set of case studies which are also used to expose the exotic kinetics that arises due to molecular gating.