CHNOPS
Mr. Defreitas
6 Elements of Life
● The six elements of life are Carbon, Hydrogen,
Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur.
●
These elements are the six most common elements
found in biomolecules or biological macromolecules.
Biomolecules
● Biomolecules are large, organic molecules that are
critical to living things.
● They fulfill functions inside of organisms that are
necessary to sustain life.
● There are four main categories of biomolecules:
carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.
Biomolecules 2
● Carbohydrates are a necessary source of energy in
organisms.
● Lipids are a major component of cell membranes and also
provide organisms with energy.
● Proteins are structural molecules that make up muscles and
bones; they also act as chemical messengers within the
body.
● Nucleic acids contain organisms' genetic codes.
Carbon
● Carbon can be found in all four of the biomolecules. Carbon is
usually the most abundant element.
●
In carbohydrates & nucleic acids, carbon atoms form ring-like
structures that are central to the molecule. In lipids, carbohydrates
form long chains. Proteins contain carbon arranged in a branched
orientation. In nucleic acids, carbon is present in a ring-like
structure because nucleic acids contain carbohydrates.
Hydrogen
● Hydrogen is found in carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.
Together with carbon, hydrogen can form hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons can form
long chains or ringed structures.
● Hydrogen is necessary for many aspects of life. During digestion, hydrogen and
chlorine bond together to form the digestive acid hydrochloric acid (HCl).
Hydrogen is also important to the process of ATP production called cellular
respiration.
● Hydrogen is also critical for life because it is a large component of water.
Nitrogen
● Nitrogen plays an important role in the structure of DNA. DNA contains
nitrogenous bases that enable organisms to pass their genetic information
to subsequent generations.
● In plants, nitrogen is a part of the molecule chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a
green pigment that absorbs sunlight to fuel photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis provides the plant with glucose which can then be broken
down into energy.
Oxygen
● Oxygen is a colourless, odourless, tasteless gas essential to living
organisms, being taken up by animals, which convert it to carbon
dioxide; plants, in turn, utilize carbon dioxide as a source of carbon and
return the oxygen to the atmosphere.
● Oxygen forms compounds by reaction with practically any other
element. Oxygen is able to displace elements from their
combinations with each other. Its most important compound is
water.
Phosphorus
● Non-metallic chemical element of the nitrogen family that at
room temperature is a colourless, semitransparent, soft, waxy
solid that glows in the dark.
● Highly combustible in many states. Used in matches,
fireworks, smokescreen, fertilizers and rodenticides.
● In many compounds phosphorus is poisonous.
Sulfur
● Non-metallic chemical element belonging to the oxygen group, one
of the most reactive of the elements. Pure sulfur is a tasteless,
odourless, brittle solid that is pale yellow in colour, a poor conductor
of electricity, and insoluble in water.
● It reacts with all metals except gold and platinum, forming sulfides;
it also forms compounds with several nonmetallic elements. Millions
of tons of sulfur are produced each year, mostly for the manufacture
of sulfuric acid, which is widely used in industry. fertilizers,
pigments, dyes, drugs, explosives, detergents