Intracellular pH
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Cell (biology)
The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of life that is classified as a living thing, and is often called the building block of life. The Alberts text discusses how the "cellular building blocks" move to shape developing embryos....

s contain an intracellular fluid whose pH
PH
In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...

 value is known as the intracellular pH (pHi). The pHi plays a critical role in the function of the cell, and close regulation
Regulation
Regulation is administrative legislation that constitutes or constrains rights and allocates responsibilities. It can be distinguished from primary legislation on the one hand and judge-made law on the other...

 is required for cells to survive. There are numerous mechanisms that can cause pHi to change, including metabolic acid production, leakage of acid across plasma and organelle
Organelle
In cell biology, an organelle is a specialized subunit within a cell that has a specific function, and is usually separately enclosed within its own lipid bilayer....

 membranes and membrane transport processes. The mechanisms that regulate pHi are usually considered to be plasma membrane transporters of which two main types exist — those independent of HCO3
Bicarbonate
In inorganic chemistry, bicarbonate is an intermediate form in the deprotonation of carbonic acid...

and those requiring HCO3. The normal extracellular pH is 7.4 +/- .1.{http://www.uptodate.com/contents/chapter-10c-intracellular-ph}

Intracellular pH is around 6.8 due to acid production. It contains low HCO3- level and thereby at pCO2 above 45 mmHg pH can not be 7.4 but much lower.pH = 7.3 in HEK293 cells
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