Chemical Composition of the Human Body

Illustration of the makeup of the human body
Illustration of the makeup of the human body. Youst / Getty Images

Many of the elements found throughout nature are also found within the body. This is the chemical composition of the average adult human body in terms of elements and also compounds.

Major Classes of Compounds in the Human Body

Most of the elements are found within compounds. Water and minerals are inorganic compounds. Organic compounds include fat, protein, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids.

  • Water: Water is the most abundant chemical compound in living human cells, accounting for 65 percent to 90 percent of each cell. It's also present between cells. For example, blood and cerebrospinal fluid are mostly water.
  • Fat: The percentage of fat varies from person to person, but even an obese person has more water than fat.
  • Protein: In a lean male, the percentages of protein and water are comparable. It's about 16 percent by mass. Muscles, including the heart, contain a lot of muscle. Hair and fingernails are protein. Skin contains a large amount of protein, too.
  • Minerals: Minerals account for about 6 percent of the body. They include salts and metals. Common minerals include sodium, chlorine, calcium, potassium, and iron.
  • Carbohydrates: Although humans use the sugar glucose as an energy source, there isn't that much of it free in the bloodstream at any given time. Sugar and other carbohydrates only account for about 1% of body mass.

Elements in the Human Body

Six elements account for 99% of the mass of the human body. The acronym CHNOPS may be used to help remember the six key chemical elements that are used in biological molecules. C is carbon, H is hydrogen, N is nitrogen, O is oxygen, P is phosphorus, and S is sulfur. While the acronym is a good way to remember the identities of the elements, it doesn't reflect their abundance.

  • Oxygen is the most abundant element in the human body accounting for approximately 65% of a person's mass. Each water molecule consists of two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom, but the mass of each oxygen atom is much higher than the combined mass of the hydrogen. In addition to being a component of water, oxygen is essential for cellular respiration.
  • Carbon is contained in all organic compounds, which is why carbon is the second most abundant element in the body, accounting for about 18% of body mass. Carbon is found in proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids. It's also found in carbon dioxide.
  • Hydrogen atoms are the most numerous type of atom in a human, but because they are so light, they only make up around 10% of the mass. Hydrogen is in water, plus it's an important electron carrier.
  • Nitrogen is about 3.3% of body mass. It's found in proteins and nucleic acids.
  • Calcium accounts for 1.5% of body mass. It's used to build bones and teeth, plus it's important for muscle contraction.
  • Phosphorus is about 1% of body mass. This element is found in nucleic acids. Breaking bonds connecting phosphate molecules is a major component of energy transfer.
  • Potassium is around 0.2-0.4% of the mass of a person. It's used in nerve conduction. Potassium is a key cation or positively-charged ion in the body.
  • Sulfur is found in some amino acids and proteins. It's about 0.2-0.3% of body mass.
  • Sodium, like potassium, is a positively-charged ion. It's about 0.1-0.2% of body mass. Sodium helps regulate the electrolyte balance in the body and maintain homeostasis with respect to the volume of water in the blood and cells.
  • Although aluminum and silicon are abundant in the earth's crust, they are found in trace amounts in the human body.
  • Other trace elements include metals, which are often cofactors for enzymes (e.g., cobalt for vitamin B12). Trace elements include iron, cobalt, zinc, iodine, selenium, and flourine.
Element Percent by Mass
Oxygen 65
Carbon 18
Hydrogen 10
Nitrogen 3
Calcium 1.5
Phosphorus 1.2
Potassium 0.2
Sulfur 0.2
Chlorine 0.2
Sodium 0.1
Magnesium 0.05
Iron, Cobalt, Copper, Zinc, Iodine trace

Selenium, Fluorine

minute amounts

Does the Body Contain All the Elements?

The average human body contains tiny amounts of elements that serve no known biological function. These include germanium, antimony, silver, niobium, lanthanum, tellurium, bismuth, thallium, gold, and even radioactive elements like thorium, uranium, and radium. However, not all elements on the periodic table are found in the body. These are primarily the synthetic elements, which are made in laboratories. Even if they did occur in the body, most of the superheavy nuclei have such brief half-lives, they would decay into one of the more common elements almost instantly.

Sources

  • Anke M. (1986). "Arsenic". In: Mertz W. ed., Trace elements in human and Animal Nutrition, 5th ed. Orlando, FL: Academic Press. pp. 347-372.
  • Chang, Raymond (2007). Chemistry, Ninth Edition. McGraw-Hill. pp. 52.
  • Emsley, John (2011). Nature's Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements. OUP Oxford. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-19-960563-7.
  • Subcommittee on the Tenth Edition of the Recommended Dietary Allowances, Food and Nutrition Board; Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council (February 1989). Recommended Dietary Allowances: 10th Edition. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-04633-6.
  • Zumdahl, Steven S. and Susan A. (2000). Chemistry, Fifth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company. p. 894. ISBN 0-395-98581-1.
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Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Chemical Composition of the Human Body." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/chemical-composition-of-the-human-body-603995. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2023, April 5). Chemical Composition of the Human Body. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/chemical-composition-of-the-human-body-603995 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Chemical Composition of the Human Body." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/chemical-composition-of-the-human-body-603995 (accessed March 19, 2024).