The Human Body: Walking Periodic Table

Have you ever heard the phrase, “the human body is a walking periodic table?” Well if not that then the saying that chemistry is all around you is probably relatable. The truth of the matter is that chemistry isn’t just around you, it also occurs inside of you as well! That’s right the body has chemical reactions happening all the time and you don’t even know it. Some of the ways that the elements are distributed throughout the body are in the bones, blood, metabolism, genetics, and even diseases. In fact, the human body is composed of 65% Oxygen, 18% Carbon, 10% Hydrogen, 3% Nitrogen, 1.5% Calcium, and in smaller amounts of several other elements. Bones make up the skeleton of the human body. They are composed of a collagen rich mixture of calcium and phosphate, which are both elements located on the periodic table, along with other minerals as well. If the body is in low supply of these elements, then it will absorb them from the bones and distribute them for other bodily functions as the need arises. If this happens often, the bones will eventually become weak. This tends to lead toward a greater chance of Osteoporosis and breaking of the bones becomes much easier to do. Hydrogen and oxygen are also found in human bones, along with fluorine. So there are several elements that can be found just …show more content…
Nitrogen is a component of proteins and nucleic acids that makes up people’s genetic material. It forms DNA, which is like a blueprint for life here on Earth. It is the structure for building up the bigger picture for life to be able to function and replicate as necessary. Carbon also plays a major role in genetics, because it is needed in the creation of amino acids. These amino acids are building blocks for protein molecules which make up living organisms. The proteins are found in cell membranes, muscles, and even tissues. So they are very important elements associated with genetics and have major