Kinetic schemes for post-synchronized single molecule dynamics

Recordings from single molecule experiments can be aggregated to determine average kinetic properties of the system under observation. The kinetics after a synchronized reaction step can be interpreted using all of the standard tools developed for ensemble perturbation experiments. The kinetics leading up to a synchronized event, determined by the lifetimes of the preceding states; however, are not as obvious if the reaction has reversible steps or branches. Here we describe a general procedure for dealing with these situations.