All the matter that makes up the Earth and living organisms is formed by elements found in nature, these elements are called natural elements. Most of these elements are not found in our body, there are 88 altogether and only 25 of these elements are considered essential for the maintenance of life.
Macroelements are those whose daily requirement is greater than 100 mg, occur in relatively high amounts in one or more tissues, and are required in diets in concentrations from 0.05 to 0.5%. The main macro elements are:
- Phosphor;
- Potassium;
- Sodium;
- Sulfur;
- Calcium;
- Chlorine.
Microelements, called trace elements, also need to be ingested, as they are important, despite the daily requirement being less than 100 mg. Among them we find:
• Iron;
• Fluorine;
• Iodine;
• Copper;
• Zinc;
• Manganese, among others.
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By Líria Alves
Graduated in Chemistry
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SOUZA, Líria Alves de. "Elements necessary for life";
Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/quimica/elementos-necessarios-para-vida.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
