This will probably sound extremely ridiculous, but I'm wondering what elements (what types of atoms) people are composed of. I know that we consist of protein (amino acids) but when you break things down past the cellular level to the atomic level, what are we?

Mostly carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen.

Thank you very much. I don't believe I was thinking clearly when I posted this. I forgot all about organic chemistry and carbon atoms being the building blocks of life.

the only metal i can think of off the top of my head(besides H) that would be found in the human body is Fe. then again, i was never good at Bio.

Off the top of my head, these are the more common elements I could think of:

 

Carbon

Hydrogen

Oxygen

Nitrogen

Sulfur

Sodium

Potassium

Chlorine

Iron

Cobalt

Iodine

Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and iron mainly.

 

We need trace amounts of many elements in our diet though.

 

Cobalt is found in vitamin b12.

Main ones: C, H, N, O, P, S, Cl, Na, Mg, K, Ca

Trace elements: V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Mo, W, B, Si, Se, F, I

through what we eat we probably have a little bit of all thenatural elements in our bodies but in most cases it would be a miniscule amount

Mass of each element in a 70-kg person

 

CHON makes up 97% of the mass

oxygen 43 kg 61%

carbon 16 kg 23%

hydrogen 7 kg 10%

nitrogen 1.8 kg 3%

 

Seven elements make up most of the rest:

calcium 1.0 kg 1%

phosphorus 780 g 1%

potassium1 40 g 0.2%

sulfur1 40 g 0.2%

sodium 100 g 0.1%

chlorine 95 g 0.1%

magnesium 19 g 0.03%

iron 4.2 g 0.01%

 

The following forty seven elements constitute less than 0.01% each

fluorine 2.6 g

zinc 2.3 g

silicon 1.0 g

rubidium 0.68 g

strontium 0.32 g

bromine 0.26 g

lead 0.12 g

copper 72 mg

aluminum 60 mg

cadmium 50 mg

cerium 40 mg

barium 22 mg

iodine 20 mg

tin 20 mg

titanium 20 mg

boron 18 mg

nickel 15 mg

selenium 15 mg

chromium 14 mg

manganese 12 mg

arsenic 7 mg

lithium 7 mg

cesium 6 mg

mercury 6 mg

germanium 5 mg

molybdenum 5 mg

cobalt 3 mg

antimony 2 mg

silver 2 mg

niobium 1.5 mg

zirconium 1 mg

anthanium 0.8 mg

gallium 0.7 mg

tellurium 0.7 mg

yttrium 0.6 mg

bismuth 0.5 mg

thallium 0.5 mg

indium 0.4 mg

gold 0.2 mg

scandium 0.2 mg

tantalum 0.2 mg

vanadium 0.11 mg

thorium 0.1 mg

uranium 0.1 mg

samarium 50 µg

beryllium 36 µg

tungsten 20 µg

 

Source: http://web2.iadfw.net/uthman/elements_of_body.html

[This, in turn, was based on Emsley, John, The Elements, 3rd ed., Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1998]

Thats quite a comprehensive list. never seen one in that much detail before.

nice list- never knew i had gold in me

protons and electrons and if i believe quantum theory we are nothing more than waves.

protons and electrons and if i believe quantum theory we are nothing more than waves.

 

Last time I checked, protons and electrons aren't atoms. Furthermore, you also missed out neutrons, which are rather vital.

nice list- never knew i had gold in me

 

Yes! I'm RICH!!!

So the question is.... If I were going to melt people down for their base elements, which element would make me the most money per person?

 

 

Hmm, i could see a work of art coming from this list.... Take the proper amounts of each element, lump them together, and call it a person. It would be a pretty neat visual.

That's quite a comprehensive list Ophiolite.

we can get 100 grams of uranium if we killed a million people !

so wait..looking at the list

 

you can make very small nuclear bombs out of a person..right? (very small bombs)

we can get 100 grams of uranium if we killed a million people !

the real reason for the holocaust.

anthanium 0.8 mg

gallium 0.7 mg

tellurium 0.7 mg

yttrium 0.6 mg

bismuth 0.5 mg

thallium 0.5 mg

indium 0.4 mg

gold 0.2 mg

scandium 0.2 mg

tantalum 0.2 mg

vanadium 0.11 mg

thorium 0.1 mg

uranium 0.1 mg

samarium 50 µg

beryllium 36 µg

tungsten 20 µg

 

Source: http://web2.iadfw.net/uthman/elements_of_body.html

[This' date= in turn, was based on Emsley, John, The Elements, 3rd ed., Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1998]

Did I miss something????...... I'm doing a PhD in chemistry and I've never heard of the element anthanium, or is it a different name for another common element?

I think silicone?? yeah, well I know some females show traces of it.

 

EDIT: I was joking, please don't eat silicone while chanting "I am what I eat"

so wait..looking at the list

 

you can make very small nuclear bombs out of a person..right? (very small bombs)

 

Nope. You need about 20 kg or so of highly enriched Uranium (I.E. 95+% U-235) in order to have a nuclear bomb. No way in hell you could accomplish that with the miniscule amounts of uranium contained within living creatures.

you`de have to melt down several Live8 Music concerts to get even a fraction of that. it`s just not worth the effort

 

as for the parts of an atom being present, the only ones I`m aware of that exist will be Electrons, they often wonder freely within our systems causing damage (Free Radicals) often the Oxygen atom is responsible for these, hence taking Anti-Oxidants such as Vit A, E and C and the mineral Sellenium, is used to combat these by absorbtion.

i heard the average person has enough zinc in his/her body to make a small ( 1 cudic mm) block. I dont know if this is the free zinc, or in the form of compounds.

it`ll be in compounds, and the Male has more zinc than female also.

I think you`ll find it`ll be a little bit more than a cubic mm too.