Digitally signed by Dr.

Alexander Krasev
Dr. Alexander DN: CN = Dr. Alexander Krasev, C =
US, O = Home, OU = Home
Krasev Date: 2005.02.09 10:48:13 -05'00'
 - The 7 essential mineral elements are the most abun-
dant substances dissolved in the extracellular and intracel-
: lular fluids. Most of the body's calcium and phosphorus
- atoms, however, make up the solid matrix of bone tissue.
The 13 essential trace elements are present in ex-
(,, tremely small quantities, but they are nonetheless essen-

- i
tial for normal growth and function. For example, iron
a
plays a critical role in the transport of oxygen by the blood.
- ~dditionaltrace elements will likelv be added to this list as

enter through the foods we eat and the k r we breathe but

do not have any known essential chemical function. Some
electrically neutral, the atomic number is also equal to the elements, for example, mercury, are not required for nor-
number of electrons in the atom. mal function and can be toxic. I
Atomic Weight
Atoms have very little mass. A single hydrogen atom, for
example, has a mass of only 1.67 x g. The atomic
weight scale is a scale that indicates an atom's mass rela-
wo or more atoms bonded together make up a mole-
tive to the mass of other atoms. This scale is based upon
assigning the carbon atom a value of 12. On this scale a - a molecule of water contains two
cule. For example,
hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, which can be rep-
hydrogen atam has an atomic weight of approximately 1,
resented by H20. The atomic composition of glucose, a
indicating that it has one-twelfth the mass of a carbon
sugar, is C6H1206rindicating that the molecule contains 6
atom; a rntfgnesium atom, with an atomic weight of 24, has
carbon atoms, 12 hydrogen atoms, and 6 oxygen atoms.
twice the mass of a carbon atom.' Since almost all the mass
Such formulas, however, do not indicate which atoms are
of an atom is due to its neutrons and protons, and since
linked to which in the molecule.
hydrogen, with a single proton, has an atomic weight of 1,
the atomic weight of an atom is approximately equal to the Covalent Chemical Bonds
sum of the number of protons and neutrons it contains. Its
The atoms in molecules are held together by chemical
atomic weight is not exactly equal to this sum because
bonds, which are formed when electrons are transferred
electrons do have some mass and because protons and
from one atom to another or are shared between two
neutrons do not have exactly equal masses.
s of a chemical element is the
atoms. The strongest chemical bond between two atoms, a
covalent bond, is formed when one electron in the outer
grams that is equal to the nu-
electron orbit of each atom is shared between the two
ight. Thus, 12 g of carbon is
atoms. The atoms in most molecules found in the body are
1 gram atomic mass bf carbon, and 1g of hydrogen is 1
linked by covalent bonds.
gram atomic mass of hydrogen. One gram atomic mass of
The atoms of some elements can form more than one
any e l m t contaralns t h s a m number of atoms. For ex-
covalent bond and thus become linked simultaneously to
ample, L g of hydrogen contains 6 x lom atom, and 12 g
two or more other atoms (Figure 2-1). Each type of atom
of carbon, whose atoms have 12 times the mass of&&%
has a characteristic number of covalent bonds it can form,
gen atom, also has 6 x lom atoms. b%&od which depends on the number of electrons present in its
outermost electron orbit. The number of chemical bonds
formed by the four most abundant atoms in the body are
Just four of the body's ess; al elements (Table 21)-
hydrogen, 1; oxygen, 2; nitrogen, 3; and carbon, 4. When
hydrogen, oxygen, carb~n,and nitrogen-account for over
the structure of a molecule is diagramed, each covalent
99 percent of the atoms in the body. ,& b
A
bond is represented by a line indicating a pair of shared
S~~STW& MI am an
-&-. . 1
electrons. The covalent bonds of the four elements men-
tioned above can be represented as
2 ~ i ~the
c e&&c weight s&is a r d o of atomic masses, it has no units.
The unit of atomic mass is known as a dalton [ l dalton (d) is equal to
one-twelfth the mass of a single carbon atom]. Thus, carbon has an
atomic weight of 12, and a single carbon atom has an atomic mass of 12
daltons. zf fos13Sa