Polyelectrolytes, nucleic acids, counterion condensation

At higher temperatures, higher concentrations of counterions are needed to induce folding in nucleic acids. This is so because thermal fluctuations resist the propensity of counterions to condense in the vicinity of the polyelectrolyte [108, 109]. This is in agreement with experiments [31, 108-110]. In fact,... 

Nucleic Acids are Polyelectrolytes Counterion Condensation Theory... 

Some of the most successful computer simulation studies of nucleic acid systems to date employ models without explicit treatment of counterions, using instead the Manning model for counterion condensation. 4 Manning developed the counterion condensation model from polyelectrolyte theories applied to DNA treated as a charged cylinder. This model, resulting from a series of studies 2,43 is summarized by ... 

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