What Elements Are Found in the Human Body?
There are 92 elements that occur naturally on Earth. For living things, only 11 of these elements are found in larger than trace quantities. Any amount 0.01% or less is considered a trace element. For vertebrates, such as humans, there are two additional elements that occur in larger than trace amounts these are Iodine and Iron. The periodic table of elements below is color coded to show the elements found in the human body.
Periodic Table illustration of elements found in human body. Click to enlarge.
The Top Four Elements Found in 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. Before you start thinking we should float away with all the oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen atoms, remember that the oxygen molecules are mainly part of the water in our body (H2O). In fact, over half of the human body is made up of water (50-70%).
The eleven common elements found in the human body and their percentage of total body weight. The other trace elements (less than 0.01%) are: boron (B), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), fluorine (F), iodine (I), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), selenium (Se), silicon (Si), tin (Sn), vanadium (V), and zinc (Zn).
Read more about: Building Blocks of Life
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Shyamala Iyer. (2009, September 27). Atoms & Life. ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved March 24, 2024 from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/content/atoms-life American Psychological Association. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/ Shyamala Iyer. "Atoms & Life". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 27 September, 2009. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/content/atoms-life For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/04/ Shyamala Iyer. "Atoms & Life". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 27 Sep 2009. ASU - Ask A Biologist, Web. 24 Mar 2024. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/content/atoms-life Modern Language Association, 7th Ed. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/Bibliographic details:
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The elements - Oxygen, Carbon, Hydrogen and Nitrogen account for 96.2% of your body weight.
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