Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), a type of cationic detergent, is used to release and complex total cellular nucleic acids. CTAB forms an insoluble bond with nucleic acids when the initial NaCl concentration is reduced to ~0.5 M. Through the supernatant, polysaccharides, phenolic compounds and other enzyme-inhibitory contaminants found in plant cells are effectively removed, as most of them do not precipitate under these conditions.