FAQs
Of the 118 elements on Earth, just 21 of them are found in the human body. The human body is approximately 99% comprised of just six elements: Oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon, calcium, and phosphorus. Another five elements make up about 0.85% of the remaining mass: sulfur, potassium, sodium, chlorine, and magnesium.
What are the 26 elements in the human body? ›
Elemental composition list
Atomic number | Element | Essential in humans |
---|
1 | Hydrogen | Yes (e.g. water) |
7 | Nitrogen | Yes (e.g. DNA and amino acids) |
20 | Calcium | Yes (e.g. Calmodulin and Hydroxylapatite in bones) |
15 | Phosphorus | Yes (e.g. DNA, Phospholipids and Phosphorylation) |
51 more rows
Are all 92 elements found in the human body? ›
Out of the 92 naturally occurring chemical elements, only about a dozen make up 99% of the typical human body. Others may be found in trace quantities - sometimes as contaminants such as lead, arsenic and others.
What is the most important element in the human body? ›
Four elements, namely, oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen, are considered the most essential elements found in our body. Oxygen is the most abundant element in the human body, accounting for approximately 61% of a person's mass.
What are the 27 elements of the body? ›
Evolution only considered 27 elements for the process of life: H = hydrogen B = boron C = carbon N = nitrogen O = oxygen F = fluorine Na = sodium Mg = magnesium Si = silicon P = phosphorus S = sulfur Cl = chlorine K = potassium Ca = calcium V = vanadium Cr = chromium Mn = manganese Fe = iron Co = cobalt Ni = nickel Cu ...
What are the 25 elements in the human body and percentage? ›
Only six elements make up 99 percent of the human body: oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon, calcium, and phosphorus. Sulfur, potassium, sodium, chlorine, and magnesium are the other five elements that make up around 0.85 percent of the remaining mass. The most abundant element in the human body is oxygen.
What 4 elements make up 90% of the human body? ›
Of the elements found in the human body, four of them make up the largest percentage of our body weight (96.2%). The four elements are oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen.
What is the 1 element that is important to all life? ›
Scientists believe that about 25 of the known elements are essential to life. Just four of these – carbon (C), oxygen (O), hydrogen (H) and nitrogen (N) – make up about 96% of the human body. 25 elements are known to be essential to life.
What is the number one element in the human body? ›
Oxygen is the most common element in the human body by mass, comprising approximately 65.0% of body mass. Most of the oxygen present is found in the form of water.
Which element is highest in body? ›
Oxygen is the most abundant element in the human body, accounting for about 65% of a person's mass. Each water molecule is made up of two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom, but the mass of each oxygen atom is much larger than the combined mass of the hydrogen.
The human body is composed of many elements, including Gold in trace amounts. According the technical treatise, The Elements Third Edition, written by John Emsley and published by the Clarendon Press, Oxford in 1998, the average person's body weighing 70 kilograms would contain a total mass of 0.2 milligrams of gold.
What is the most abundant element in the universe? ›
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the Universe; helium is second.
What are the 20 trace elements in the human body? ›
Essential trace elements: boron, cobalt, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, and zinc. Probably essential trace elements: chromium, fluorine, nickel, selenium, and vanadium. Physically promotive trace elements: bromine, lithium, silicon, tin, and titanium.
What is the 26 element? ›
Iron is a chemical element with symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Classified as a transition metal, Iron is a solid at room temperature.
How many elements are there in a human body? ›
These 21 elements can be categorized into three major blocks depending on the amount found in a human body, the main building block (4 elements), essential minerals (8 elements), and trace elements (9 elements).
What elements make up 96 of the human body? ›
Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen make up 96% of our body's mass. The other 4% of body weight is composed almost entirely of sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, sulphur, chlorine and Iodine .
How many natural elements are in the human body? ›
The modern periodic table includes the 92 naturally occurring elements found in earth's crust and ocean (in green in Fig. 2.7) and two elements, Technetium (Tc) and Promethium (Pm), which are created as byproducts of nuclear reactors (in orange in Fig.