YOU ARE LEARNING:
The Cytoplasm
The Cytoplasm
The cytoplasm is the gel-like fluid inside cells.
Where you find the cytoplasm
Both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells have cytoplasm.
![](https://cdn.hejalbert.se/teen/blocks-images/en_GB/Fo4K0p8QomCWHysZzD6a.png)
Where inside the cell is the cytoplasm?
![](https://cdn.hejalbert.se/teen/blocks-images/en_GB/Fo4K0p8QomCWHysZzD6a.png)
So the cytoplasm fills out the space inside the cell
It's the substance that the organelles, like the nucleus, mitochondria, ribosomes etc. "swim around" in.
![](https://cdn.hejalbert.se/teen/blocks-images/en_GB/Fo4K0p8QomCWHysZzD6a.png)
What do you think the cytoplasm is like?
The function of the cytoplasm
Think of organelles as buildings in a city and the cytoplasm as the space in-between the buildings. What happens in the cytoplasm?
![](https://cdn.hejalbert.se/teen/blocks-images/en_GB/Fo4K0p8QomCWHysZzD6a.png)
So the cytoplasm allows molecules to get transported around inside the cell, but it also has another function. Which one, do you think?
![](https://cdn.hejalbert.se/teen/blocks-images/en_GB/Fo4K0p8QomCWHysZzD6a.png)
Summary!
All cells have cytoplasm
Prokaryotic as well as eukaryotic cells.
![](https://cdn.hejalbert.se/teen/blocks-images/en_GB/Fo4K0p8QomCWHysZzD6a.png)
The cytoplasm is a gel-like fluid that fills out the inside of the cell
It is the fluid that the organelles "swim around" in, but there is no cytoplasm inside the organelles themselves.
![](https://cdn.hejalbert.se/teen/blocks-images/en_GB/Fo4K0p8QomCWHysZzD6a.png)
The cytoplasm has two main functions
It allows for molecules to be transported between organelles, and it allows for chemical reactions to take place inside the cell.
![](https://cdn.hejalbert.se/teen/blocks-images/en_GB/Fo4K0p8QomCWHysZzD6a.png)