What are the chemical elements of the cell? The role and function of chemical elements that make up the cell

Today, many chemical elements of the periodic table have been discovered and isolated in pure form, and a fifth of them are found in every living organism. They, like bricks, are the main constituents of organic and inorganic substances.

What chemical elements are included in the composition of the cell, according to the biology of which substances can be judged about their presence in the body - all this we will consider later in the article.

What is the constancy of the chemical composition

To maintain stability in the body, each cell must maintain the concentration of each component at a constant level. This level is determined by species, habitat, environmental factors.

To answer the question, what chemical elements are included in the cell, it is necessary to clearly understand that any of the components of the periodic table are in the composition of any substance.

Sometimes it is a question of hundredths and a thousandths of percentages of the content of a certain element in a cell, but at the same time a change in the named number, even for a thousandth part, can already bear serious consequences for the organism.

Of the 118 chemical elements of the periodic system in the human cell, there must be at least 24. There are no such components that would occur in a living organism, but were not part of the inanimate objects of nature. This fact confirms the close connection between the living and non-living in the ecosystem.

The role of various elements that make up the cell

So what are the chemical elements in the cell? Their role in the life of the body, it should be noted, directly 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 harmful effects on the body, having disconnected from the metabolism the most important biochemical reactions.

Listing which chemical elements are included in the human cell, we need to mention three main types, which we consider below:

1. The main biogenic.
2. Microelements.
3. Microelements.

The main biogenic elements of the cell

It is not surprising that the elements O, C, H, N are biogenic, because they form all organic and many inorganic substances. It is impossible to imagine proteins, fats, carbohydrates or nucleic acids without these important components for the body.

The function of these elements determined their high content in the body. They account for 98% of the total dry weight. What else can be the activity of these enzymes?

1. Oxygen. Its content in the cell is about 62% of the total dry mass. Functions: construction of organic and inorganic substances, participation in the respiratory chain;
2. Carbon. Its content reaches 20%. The main function: it is part of all organic compounds ;
3. Hydrogen. Its concentration assumes a value of 10%. In addition to the fact that this element is a constituent of organic substances and water, it also participates in energy transformations;
4. 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.

That's what chemical elements are part of the cell and form the majority of substances necessary for normal life.

Value of macroelements

The macronutrients also help to suggest which chemical elements are part of the cell. From the biology course it becomes clear that, in addition to the basic, 2% of the dry mass are the other components of the periodic table. And the macronutrients are those of those whose content is not lower than 0.01%. Their main functions are presented in the form of a table.

We hope that from the above it is not difficult to determine which chemical elements are part of the cell and belong to the macroelements.

Trace Elements

There are also such constituent cells, without which the body can not function normally, but their content is always less than 0.01%. Let's define, what chemical elements enter into structure of a cage and concern to group of microcells.

Organic and inorganic substances

In addition to those listed, what other chemical elements are included in the cell? Answers can be found simply by studying the structure of most of the body's substances. Among them are molecules of organic and inorganic origin, and each of these groups has a fixed set of elements. The main classes of organic substances are proteins, nucleic acids, fats and carbohydrates. They are built entirely of basic biogenic elements: the skeleton of the molecule is always formed by carbon, and hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen are part of the radicals. In animals, proteins are the dominant class, and polysaccharides in plants.

Inorganic substances are all mineral salts and, of course, water. Among all the inorganics in the cell is most of all H ₂ O, 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.