Alkaliphiles are microbes classified as extremophiles that thrive in alkaline environments with a pH of 9 to 11 such as soda lakes and carbonate-rich soils. To survive, alkaliphiles maintain a relatively low alkaline level of about 8 pH inside their cells by constantly pumping hydrogen ions (H⁺)in the form of Hydroxonium ions (H₃O⁺) across their cell membranes into their cytoplasm. A microorganism or microbe is an organism that is so small that it is microscopic (invisible to the naked eye). ... An extremophile is an organism, usually unicellular, which thrives in or requires extreme conditions. ... The common (Arrhenius) definition of a base is a chemical compound that either donates hydroxide ions or absorbs hydrogen ions when dissolved in water. ... The title of this article is shown beginning with a capital letter due to technical restrictions. ... The playa and shore of Lake Hart, an endorheic desert lake in South Australia An alkali flat (known in US and Mexico as a playa) is a dry lakebed, generally the shore of, or remnant of, an endorheic lake. ... Carbonate is an anion with a charge of -2 and an empirical formula of CO32-. For an aqueous solution, carbonate exists in three forms. ... The title of this article is shown beginning with a capital letter due to technical restrictions. ... General Name, Symbol, Number hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 1. ... ... In chemistry, hydronium is the common name for the cation H3O+. // Nomenclature According to IUPAC ion nomenclature, it should be referred to as oxonium. ... Drawing of a cell membrane A component of every biological cell, the selectively permeable cell membrane (or plasma membrane or plasmalemma) is a thin and structured bilayer of phospholipid and protein molecules that envelopes the cell. ... Cytoplasm is a homogeneous, generally clear jelly-like material that fills cells. ...

External links

• http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0212089/alk.htm