Question
Question: How much nitrogen is in the human body?...
How much nitrogen is in the human body?
Solution
Human body composition may be examined in numerous ways. This can be done in terms of the chemical elements present like carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, etc. or by molecular type like water, protein, fats or lipids), hydroxylapatite present in bones, carbohydrates such as glucose or glycogen( stored food in humans) and DNA.
Complete answer:
Nitrogen is essential for both plants and animals for their proper development, and it makes about 70 to 80 percent of the environment. The plant takes nitrogen from the soil or by fertilizers but animals can’t take nitrogen directly from the soil or air. Animals take nitrogen from plant sources which assist to make protein from amino acids in the animal body.
Nitrogen is present about 3.3 percent weight of the human body. It is found in many organic molecules, comprising the amino acids that make up proteins, and the nucleic acids that make up DNA, enzymes, and hormones.
Elemental analysis gives the elemental composition of living tissues in the form of hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, chlorine, etc.
Different elements are present in different percentages in our body. The chart given below shows the elemental composition of the human body.
Elements | % weight in human body |
---|---|
Carbon | 18.5 |
Oxygen | 65.0 |
Hydrogen | 0.5 |
Nitrogen | 3.3 |
Calcium | 1.5 |
Sulphur | 0.3 |
Note:
Almost 99% of the mass of the human body is made up of elements like oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus. Nitrogen is an essential element in our body and other life forms, as it is a basic structural component of proteins, amino acids, enzymes, and several hormones.