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Biological roles of the elements. A large fraction of the chemical elements that occur naturally on the Earth's surface are essential to the structure and metabolism of living things. Four of these elements (hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen) are essential to every living thing and collectively make up 99% of the mass of protoplasm. [1]
Magnesium is an essential element in biological systems. Magnesium occurs typically as the Mg 2+ ion. It is an essential mineral nutrient (i.e., element) for life [1][2][3][4] and is present in every cell type in every organism. For example, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the main source of energy in cells, must bind to a magnesium ion in order ...
Mineral (nutrient) Carbonic anhydrase, an enzyme that requires zinc (gray sphere near the center of this image), is essential for exhalation of carbon dioxide. In the context of nutrition, a mineral is a chemical element. Some "minerals" are essential for life, but most are not. [1][2][3] Minerals are one of the four groups of essential ...
Copper proteins have diverse roles in biological electron transport and oxygen transportation, processes that exploit the easy interconversion of Cu(I) and Cu(II). [2] Copper is essential in the aerobic respiration of all eukaryotes. In mitochondria, it is found in cytochrome c oxidase, which is the last protein in oxidative phosphorylation.
Element Per. Gr. Role(s) in nature (non-living and living) Role(s) in technology (old and new) 1: H: Hydrogen 1 1: Astronomy: source of power by nuclear fusion (proton–proton chain reaction and CNO cycle) Biology: One of the most common elements in living organisms: Petrochemical industry: hydrodealkylation, hydrodesulfurization
Iodine is an essential trace element in biological systems. It has the distinction of being the heaviest element commonly needed by living organisms as well as the second-heaviest known to be used by any form of life (only tungsten, a component of a few bacterial enzymes, has a higher atomic number and atomic weight). It is a component of ...
Potassium in biology. Potassium is the main intracellular ion for all types of cells, while having a major role in maintenance of fluid and electrolyte balance. [1][2] Potassium is necessary for the function of all living cells, and is thus present in all plant and animal tissues. It is found in especially high concentrations within plant cells ...
Biometal (biology) Element percentages in the human body. Biometals (also called biocompatible metals, bioactive metals, metallic biomaterials) are metals normally present, in small but important and measurable amounts, in biology, biochemistry, and medicine. The metals copper, zinc, iron, and manganese are examples of metals that are essential ...