Approximate Length

~ 5 minutes

Learning Outcomes

• Become familiar with the relative abundancies of elements in the human body.
• Recognize the roles of some important elements in the body.

Summary

• The most abundant elements in the human body are O, C, H, N. 
• Together oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorous account for > 99% of the elements in the human body by mass.
• Many essential elements (iron, magnesium, copper) are present in relatively low amounts.  
• Iron helps transports oxygen and aids in DNA repair and synthesis. 
• Both iron and copper are involved in electron transport. 
• Molybdenum is used to fix nitrogen (N2) in the air to a usable form for biochemical synthesis. 
• While critical for life, oxygen, iron, copper, and many other essential elements are toxic at high levels.

Module Outline

• Periodic table and most abundant elements in the body down to the least abundant essential elements
• Summary
• Key role of essential elements
• Quiz

Important Visuals