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AAT Bioquest

What's the charge and pH of cytoplasm?

Posted June 17, 2024


Answer

Higher eukaryotic cells maintain their cytoplasmic pH around 7.3 and tightly regulate the external pH at 7.41. In contrast, neutral-loving bacteria can thrive in a broader range of external pH values (typically between 5.5 and 9.0). However, they still keep their cytoplasmic pH relatively constant, usually between 7.5 and 7.7.  

Since more positively charged sodium ions are leaving the cell than positively charged potassium ions are entering, the inside of the cell becomes negatively charged compared to the outside. Therefore, the cytoplasm is negatively charged. For each ATP molecule consumed, a cell exports three sodium ions to the outside and imports two potassium ions into the cytoplasm.

Additional resources

Cytoplasm

Cell Structures and Organelles

ReadiPrep™ Nuclear/Cytoplasmic Fractionation Kit