Today, many chemical elements of the periodic table have been discovered and isolated in their pure form, and a fifth of them are found in every living organism. They, like bricks, are the main components of organic and inorganic substances.
What chemical elements are part of the cell, the biology of which substances can be judged on their presence in the body - we will consider all this later in the article.
What is the constancy of chemical composition
To maintain stability in the body, each cell must maintain the concentration of each of its components at a constant level. This level is determined by species, habitat, and environmental factors.
To answer the question what chemical elements are part of the cell, it is necessary to clearly understand that any of the components of the periodic table is in the composition of any substance.
Sometimes we are talking about hundredths and thousandths of a percent of the content of a certain element in the cell, but at the same time, changing the named number by at least a thousandth can already have serious consequences for the body.
Of the 118 chemical elements of the periodic system in the human cell should be at least 24. There are no such components that would be found in a living organism, but not part of inanimate objects of nature. This fact confirms the close relationship between living and nonliving in the ecosystem.
The role of the various elements that make up the cell
So what are the chemical elements that make up a cell? Their role in the life of the organism, it should be noted, depends on the frequency of occurrence and their concentration in the cytoplasm. However, despite the different content of elements in the cell, the significance of each of them is equally high. Deficiency of any of them can lead to detrimental effects on the body, disconnecting the most important biochemical reactions from metabolism.
Enumerating which chemical elements are part of a human cell, three main types should be mentioned, which we will consider further:
- Basic biogenic.
- Macronutrients.
- Trace elements.
The main biogenic elements of the cell
It is not surprising that the elements O, C, H, N are biogenic, because it is they that form all organic and many inorganic substances. It is impossible to imagine proteins, fats, carbohydrates or nucleic acids without these essential components for the body.
The function of these elements determined their high content in the body. Together they account for 98% of all dry body weight. What else can be the activity of these enzymes?
- Oxygen. Its content in the cell is about 62% of the total dry mass. Functions: the construction of organic and inorganic substances, participation in the respiratory chain;
- Carbon. Its content reaches 20%. The main function: is part of all organic compounds ;
- Hydrogen. Its concentration assumes a value of 10%. Besides the fact that this element is a component of organic substances and water, it also takes part in energy transformations;
- Nitrogen. The amount does not exceed 3-5%. Its main role is the formation of amino acids, nucleic acids, ATP, many vitamins, hemoglobin, hemocyanin, chlorophyll.
These are the chemical elements that make up the cell and form the majority of the substances necessary for normal functioning.
The value of macronutrients
Macronutrients will also help to tell which chemical elements are part of the cell. From the course of biology it becomes clear that, in addition to the main ones, 2% of the dry mass is constituted by other components of the periodic table. And macronutrients include those whose content is not lower than 0.01%. Their main functions are presented in table form.
Element | Content in% | Functions |
Calcium (Ca) | 2,5 | It is responsible for the contraction of muscle fibers, is part of pectin, bones and teeth. Enhances blood coagulation. |
Phosphorus (P) | 1 | It is part of the most important energy source - ATP. |
Sulfur (S) | 0.25 | Participates in the formation of disulfide bridges during folding of the protein into the tertiary structure. It is part of cysteine and methionine, some vitamins. |
Potassium (C) | 0.25 | Potassium ions are involved in the active transport of cells, and also affect the membrane potential. |
Chlorine | 0.2 | The main anion of the body |
Sodium (Na) | 0.1 | An analogue of potassium involved in the same processes. |
Magnesium (Mg) | 0,07 | Magnesium ions are the regulators of DNA replication. A magnesium atom is also located at the center of the chlorophyll molecule. |
Iron | 0.01 | Participates in the transport of electrons through the ETC of respiration and photosynthesis, is a structural unit of myoglobin, hemoglobin and many enzymes. |
We hope that from the above it is easy to determine which chemical elements are part of the cell and belong to macrocells.
Trace elements
There are also such constituent cells, without which the body cannot function normally, but their content is always less than 0.01%. Let's determine what chemical elements are part of the cell and belong to the group of trace elements.
Element | Content in% | Functions |
Zinc (Zn) | 0.003 | It is part of the enzymes of DNA and RNA polymerases, as well as many hormones (for example, insulin). |
Copper (Cu) | 0.002 | Participates in the processes of photosynthesis, hemoglobin synthesis , is part of hemocyanin and some enzymes. |
Iodine (I) | 0.001 | Is a structural component of the hormones T3 and T4 of the thyroid gland |
Manganese (Mn) | less than 0.001 | It is part of enzymes, bones. Participates in nitrogen fixation in bacteria |
Boron (B) | less than 0.001 | Affects the process of plant growth. |
Fluorine (F) | 0.0001 | It is part of the bones and tooth enamel. |
Organic and inorganic substances
In addition to the above, what other chemical elements are part of the cell? The answers can be found simply by studying the structure of most substances in the body. Among them, molecules of organic and inorganic origin are distinguished, and each of these groups has a fixed set of elements in its composition.
The main classes of organic substances are proteins, nucleic acids, fats and carbohydrates. They are built entirely of basic biogenic elements: the skeleton of a molecule is always formed by carbon, and hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen are part of the radicals. In animals, proteins are the dominant class, and in plants polysaccharides.
Inorganic substances are all mineral salts and, of course, water. Among all inorganics in the cell, H 2 O is the most abundant, in which the remaining substances are dissolved.
All of the above will help you determine which chemical elements are part of the cell, and their functions in the body will no longer be a mystery to you.