Importance of Chemical Elements for Living Things

The chemical elements have great importance for living beings, since without them life would not be possible. It is a recognized fact among the scientific community that without water life would not be possible. On the other hand, organic life - which is known on earth - is based on carbon.

Today about 115 chemical elements are recognized, which are divided into metals, transition metals, non-metals and noble gases.

In turn, the chemical elements are divided into 18 groups:

• Metals: alkali metals (group 1) and alkaline earth metals (group 2).
• Transition metals: scandium family (group 3), titanium family (group 4), vanadium family (group 5), chromium family (group 6), manganese family (group 7), iron family (group 8 ), cobalt family (group 9), nickel family (group 10), copper family (group 11) and zinc family (group 12).
• Nonmetals: earths (group 13), carbonids (group 14), nitrogenides (group 15), calgogens (group 16) and halogens (group 17).
• Noble gases (group 18).

Two or more elements can be combined to produce more complex compounds. In fact, all existing matter is composed of chemical elements, even living beings (plants, animals and humans) are conglomerates of billions of atoms. Hence, its importance.

Chemical elements and living things

As previously stated, living things are made up of multiple chemical elements. It should be noted that those most frequently found in living organisms are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, which constitute 90% of living matter.

These four elements are the components of certain biological (or organic) molecules such as carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids (such as ribonucleic acid -RNA- and deoxyribonucleic acid -DNA-). Other elements, such as phosphorus, sulfur, calcium and potassium, are found in less quantity.

Carbon and living things

Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe and is the essential basis of life on planet Earth..

As explained in the previous section, all living things are made up of carbon. This element has a molecular structure that allows it to create various bonds with multiple elements, which is an advantage.

Carbon circulates through the land, ocean and atmosphere, creating what is known as the carbon cycle..

The carbon cycle

The carbon cycle refers to the recycling process of this element. Animals consume glucose (C6H1206) during food metabolism and respiration.

This molecule combines with oxygen (02), thus generating carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H02) and energy, which is released in the form of heat..

Animals don't need carbon dioxide, so they release it into the atmosphere. On the other hand, plants can take advantage of this gas through a process called “photosynthesis”. This process requires the presence of three elements:

1. Carbon dioxide, which enters plants through stomata in their leaves.
2. The water, which is absorbed thanks to the roots of the plants.
3. Solar energy, which is captured by chlorophyll.

CO2, added to water molecules and energy from sunlight, allows plants to:

1. Release oxygen during the light phase of photosynthesis.
2. Synthesize carbohydrates, such as glucose, during the dark phase of photosynthesis.

Chemical reaction of photosynthesis

• CO_two + H_twoOR + light and chlorophyll → CH_twoO + O_two
• Carbon dioxide + Water + Light → Carbohydrates + oxygen

Animals capture oxygen and consume glucose from plants and thus the cycle begins again..

Influence of other elements on plants, animals and prokaryotes

Below is a table that outlines some of the roles that sulfur, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and sodium play in plants, animals, and prokaryotes..

References

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