Major Elements in the Human Body + Table
Table of elements in human body.doc
6 JAN 05
Trace Minerals are the mineralized elements required by the human body in an amount of 100mg, or less, per day. They are solids, not gases or liquids.
A 200 pound man would be comprised of 120 pounds[1] of water (60% of his weight), a compound of two gasses which create a liquid when joined, and another 80 pounds of these same gasses, and others, combined in different ways with various solids. (By numbers of atoms each water molecule is 2/3 Hydrogen and 1/3 Oxygen. However, Hydrogen is the lightest element known to exist and Oxygen outweighs it by about 15 times[2], hence the Oxygen atoms would make up approximately 105.9 pounds to Hydrogen’s 14.1 pounds). Since Hydrogen and Oxygen also both occur in (solid) mineral structures throughout the body, and we know Oxygen makes up some 65% of the overall body mass and Hydrogen 10%, that would mean an additional 24.1 pounds of Oxygen and 5.9 pounds of Hydrogen exclusive of their combined occurrence as water.
So, after completely dehydrating a human, about 80 pounds of gasses and other elements would remain. If the body were then incinerated, these additional gases would be released (e.g., Nitrogen 6 pounds + the aforesaid extra, Oxygen and Hydrogen combined with other elements) leaving about 44 pounds which would mostly be Carbon (i.e., 36 pounds). Of the final 8 pounds, approximately 4 pounds would be Calcium, and 2.5 pounds, Phosphorus. The remaining 1.5 pounds would represent a host of trace minerals, collectively less than 1.0 % of the human body weight.
lbs. O lbs. H lbs. N lbs. C lbs. Ca lbs. P lbs. Misc.
120 lbs water = H2O 105.9 14.1
36 lbs. gasses as 24.1 5.9 6.0
mineral components
Totals: 130.0 + 20.0 + 6.0 + 36.0 + 4.0 + 2.5 + 1.5 = 200 lbs.
Percentages: 65% + 10% + 3% + 18% + 2% + 1.25% + .75% = 100%