Chemical makeup of the human body

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Contents

Atoms in one person

The average 70 kilogram adult contains about 6.7 x 1027 atoms and is composed of 60 chemical elements:


Element Percent of Mass1 Mass (kg)2
Oxygen 65 43
Carbon 18 16
Hydrogen 10 7
Nitrogen 3 1.8
Calcium 1.5 1.0
Phosphorus 1 0.780
Potassium 0.25 0.140
Sulfur 0.25 0.140
Sodium 0.15 0.100
Chlorine 0.15 0.095
Magnesium 0.05 0.019
Iron 0.006 0.0042
Fluorine 0.0037 0.0026
Zinc 0.0032 0.0023
Silicon 0.002 0.0010
Rubidium 0.00046 0.00068
Strontium 0.00046 0.00032
Bromine 0.00029 0.00026
Lead 0.00017 0.00012
Copper 0.0001 0.000072
Aluminium 0.000087 0.000060
Cadmium 0.000072 0.000050
Cerium 0.000040
Barium 0.000031 0.000022
Tin 0.000024 0.000020
Iodine 0.000016 0.000020
Titanium 0.000013 0.000020
Boron 0.000069 0.000018
Selenium 0.000019 0.000015
Nickel 0.000014 0.000015
Chromium 0.0000024 0.000014
Manganese 0.000017 0.000012
Arsenic 0.000026 0.000007
Lithium 0.0000031 0.000007
Mercury 0.000019 0.000006
Caesium 0.0000021 0.000006
Molybdenum 0.000013 0.000005
Germanium 0.000005
Cobalt 0.0000021 0.000003
Antimony 0.000011 0.000002
Silver 0.000001 0.000002
Niobium 0.00016 0.0000015
Zirconium 0.0006 0.000001
Lanthanum 0.0000008
Tellurium 0.000012 0.0000007
Gallium 0.0000007
Yttrium 0.0000006
Bismuth 0.0000005
Thallium 0.0000005
Indium 0.0000004
Gold 0.000014 0.0000002
Scandium 0.0000002
Tantalum 0.0000002
Vanadium 0.000026 0.00000011
Thorium 0.0000001
Uranium 0.00000013 0.0000001
Samarium 0.000000050
Tungsten 0.000000020
Beryllium 0.000000005 0.000000036
Radium 0.00000000000000001
Element Percent of Atoms3 Atoms
Hydrogen 63 4.22 x 1027
Oxygen 24 1.61 x 1027
Carbon 12 8.03 x 1026
Nitrogen 0.58 3.9 x 1025
Calcium 0.24 1.6 x 1025
Phosphorus 0.14 9.6 x 1024
Sulfur 0.038 2.6 x 1024
Sodium 0.037 2.5 x 1024
Potassium 0.033 2.2 x 1024
Chlorine 0.024 1.6 x 1024
Magnesium 0.0070 4.7 x 1023
Silicon 0.0058 3.9 x 1023
Fluorine 0.0012 8.3 x 1022
Iron 0.00067 4.5 x 1022
Zinc 0.00031 2.1 x 1022
Rubidium 0.000033 2.2 x 1021
Strontium 0.000033 2.2 x 1021
Bromine 0.000030 2.0 x 1021
Aluminum 0.000015 1.0 x 1021
Copper 0.0000104 7 x 1020
Lead 0.0000045 3 x 1020
Cadmium 0.0000045 3 x 1020
Boron 0.0000030 2 x 1020
Manganese 0.0000015 1 x 1020
Nickel 0.0000015 1 x 1020
Lithium 0.0000015 1 x 1020
Barium 0.0000012 8 x 1019
Iodine 0.00000075 5 x 1019
Tin 0.00000060 4 x 1019
Gold 0.00000030 2 x 1019
Zirconium 0.00000030 2 x 1019
Cobalt 0.00000030 2 x 1019
Cesium 0.00000010 7 x 1018
Mercury 0.000000089 6 x 1018
Arsenic 0.000000089 6 x 1018
Chromium 0.000000089 6 x 1018
Molybdenum 0.000000045 3 x 1018
Selenium 0.000000045 3 x 1018
Beryllium 0.000000045 3 x 1018
Vanadium 0.000000012 8 x 1017
Uranium 0.0000000030 2 x 1017
Radium 0.00000000000000001% 8 x 1010

Molecules in one cell

Estimated Gross Molecular Contents of a Typical 20-micrometre Human Cell3

Molecule Percent of Mass Mol.Weight (daltons) Molecules Percent of Molecules
Water 65 18 1.74 x 1014 98.73
Other Inorganics 1.5 55 1.31 x 1012 0.74
Lipids 12 700 8.4 x 1011 0.475
Other Organics 0.4 250 7.7 x 1010 0.044
Protein 20 50,000 1.9 x 1010 0.011
RNA 1.0 1 x 106 5 x 107 3 x 10-5
DNA 0.1 1 x 1011 46 3 x 10-11

See also

Composition of the human body

References

  1. ^ Thomas J. Glover, comp., Pocket Ref, 3rd ed. (Littleton: Sequoia, 2003), p. 324 (LCCN 2002091021-), which in turn cites Geigy Scientific Tables, Ciba-Geigy Limited, Basel, Switzerland, 1984.
  2. ^ J. Emsley, The Elements, 3rd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1998.
  3. ^ a b Freitas Jr., Robert A. (1999). Nanomedicine,. Landes Bioscience, Tables 3-1 & 3-2. ISBN 1570596808. 
v • d • e
Periodic tables
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  • This page was last modified on 22 November 2008, at 18:37.

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