The density of the cell sap and endoplasm of Nitellopsis and Chara [Characeae]

We measured the densities of the cell sap, endoplasm and cell wall of Nitellopsis obtusa and Chara corallina using interference microscopy, refractometry, immersion refractometry, equilibrium sedimentation and chemical microanalysis techniques. These values are important for the determination of many rheological properties of the cytoplasm as well as for understanding buoyancy regulation, dispersal mechanisms and how cells respond to gravity. The average densities of the cell sap, endoplasm and cell wall are 1,006.9, 1,016.7 and 1,371 kg m−3 for Nitellopsis and 1,005.0, 1,013.9 and 1,355.3 kg m−3 for Chara.