Chemical activations intercalation compounds

In summary, chemical activation by hydroxides involves a main chemical reaction in which carbon atoms are removed from the carbon matrix and are transformed into an inorganic compound (i.e., carbonate), and a subsidiary process in which the metal atoms formed through reduction of hydroxide are thought to be inserted/intercalated between the graphene layers of the residual carbon. This process can play a certain role in the overall activation process, as discussed in the following text. 

A high-throughput assay for bacterial RNA polymerase has been successfully developed and validated using a 96-well, automated format [70], The reaction mixture contained a DNA template, nucleotide substrates (NTPs), supplemented with a-33P-labeled CTP in Tris-acetate buffer (pH 6.8). The polymerase reaction was carried out at 34°C for 40 min (providing linear kinetics). The effect of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), the usual solvent for test compounds used in a screen, was taken into consideration. The radiolabeled RNA transcripts were allowed to bind diethyl aminoethyl (DEAE) beads, which were then separated via filtration, and radioactivity associated with the wells was quantitated to measure the RNA polymerase activity. The standard deviation of the measured activity was typically < 15% of the average. Use of this assay to screen for RNA polymerase inhibitors from chemical libraries and natural products led to the identification of DNA intercalators (known to inhibit RNA polymerase activity), rifampicin (a known inhibitors of RNA polymerase), and several derivatives of rifampicin from Actinomycetes extracts. Therefore this assay can be reliably utilized to detect novel inhibitors of bacterial RNA polymerase. 

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