What are bioelements and their classification

Bioelements, which also receive the name of biogenic elements (“Bio” – “Life” and “Genesis” – “Origin”, that is, they give rise to living forms), they are the Chemical elements that make up living beings and can be found both alone and in conjunction with others forming biomolecules. There are about 70 bioelements, although not all are present in all living beings or are in the same proportions.

Among the most common elements for their abundance in living beings we find oxygen, carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen. It is curious that, with the exception of oxygen and hydrogen, bioelements are not the most abundant chemical elements in the physical environment and, nevertheless, they are indispensable for the support of life. The reason for this is given by a series of characteristics and properties that are common to these biogenic elements, among which are:

• Its ease of establishing stable covalent bonds to each other due to its reduced atomic mass that, together with the fact that the electrons that share are close to the nucleus, favors the formation of stable molecules.
• The covalent unions between bioelements, especially when oxygen or nitrogen (which are especially electronegative) are involved, often give rise to water soluble polar molecules, which tends to be the means in which biological reactions take place, so they are facilitated.
• Bioelements are easily incorporated by living organisms from the middle, since they are usually part of simple molecules such as H2O or CO2, which facilitates the continued exchange of these elements between the physical environment and living matter.

There are different Types of bioelements: classified according to their relative abundance in living organisms in majority, essential trace elements and non -essential trace elements. The majority bioelements are characterized by always being present in living organisms. Within this group, 2 bioelement subgroups differ: Primary and secondary bioelements.

Next, in the following sections, the different types are exposed and what is the function of primary bioelements and secondary bioelements, as well as the trace elements.

The primary bioelements are in an approximate proportion of 95% in living matter and are essential for the formation of biomolecules. Among the primary bioelements are included:

• Carbon: Essential element in the formation of hydrocarbon chains by simple or double bonds that serve as a skeleton of large molecules. Here we explain what is the importance of carbon in living beings.
• Hydrogen: The other indispensable element in hydrocarbon chains, apart from being part of the water molecule.
• Oxygen: It is part of molecules as indispensable as H2O, CO2, etc.
• Nitrogen: Constitutive element of amino acids and nucleic acids, usually present in amino form (-NH2).
• Phosphorus: necessary for the synthesis of ATP (Adenosín Triffosphate), essential molecule to provide energy in the biochemical reactions that take place in living beings.
• Sulfur: Structural component of proteins by establishing disulfur bonds.

For its part, the secondary bioelements They are somewhat less abundant than primary but play essential roles in cell physiology. Among the secondary bioelements are:

• Calcium: It is commonly found in nature forming calcium carbonate, a fundamental element in skeletons and shells of crustaceans, mollusks and many other living organisms. In addition, calcium is involved in muscle contraction processes.
• Sodium: Together with potassium and chlorine, they abound in the internal cellular environment and are fundamental to maintain the salinity and balance of electrical loads in cell plasma membrane. He also plays an important role in transmitting the nerve impulse.
• Potassium: involved in the transmission of nerve impulse, together with the sodium.
• Magnesium: It appears as a cofactor of several enzymes, as well as being part of the chlorophyll.
• Chlorine: It maintains polarity inside the cell and the permeability of cell membranes, among other functions.

Essential trace elements are found in living organisms in a proportion that does not exceed 0.1%, which does not decrease their essential character, and both their absence and their excess can cause important deficiencies and problems in the body. Within the OLIGOEMENTS GROUP essential They are included:

• Iron: Essential element in hemoglobin (for oxygen transport) and in respiratory chain cytochromes.
• Manganese: It is part of various enzymes, such as overroxide dysmutase, antioxidant activity.
• Copper: composed of hemocyanin pigment.
• Zinc: involved in growth processes, insulin synthesis and in the defense of the immune system.
• Fluorine: It provides resistance to bones and teeth.
• Iodine: Fundamental element in the formation of thyroxine thyroid hormone.
• Boron: essential in plant species for the maintenance of the cell wall.
• Silicon: necessary in the formation of the skeleton and in bone calcification.
• Chrome: involved in sugar metabolism and favors the introduction of glucose into cells.
• Vanadium: essential in certain organisms other than the human being.
• Cobalt: It is part of vitamin B12, necessary for the proper functioning of the nervous system.
• Selenium: It has antioxidant function and is important for proper muscle functioning.
• Molybdenum: It intervenes in the production of uric acid and favors the proper functioning of the Xantino-Oxidase, an enzyme in charge of iron metabolism.
• Tin: It benefits the immune system and is necessary for certain bioelectric functions.

Finally, the Non -essential trace elements They consist of all those chemical elements that, without being essential for all living beings, often play important functional roles in them.

Once understood What are bioelements and what is their classificationwe can address the concept of immediate principles, which are the combined forms in which bioelements are usually found. There are physical methods such as evaporation, filtration, distillation and centrifugation, among others, which allow the separation of these components of living matter without altering their molecular structure.

The immediate principles can be divided into immediate organic principles –The calls biomoleculeswhich include carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids and that are exclusive to living matter and, therefore, have to be synthesized by living beings – or inorganic immediate principlesamong which are water and mineral salts (solid or in solution) that, in addition to living beings, are also present in the inorganic matter. In turn, biomolecules can be simple, if they are formed by the union of several atoms of the same element (for example, oxygen, EITHER2), or compounds, when they are composed of the combination of atoms of different chemical elements (as with water, H2EITHER).

Biomolecules have structural functions (as with proteins, lipids and mineral salts), energy (carbohydrates and lipids) or reactions catalyst (as in the case of enzymes, which are proteins).

To continue learning about these issues and advancing in the field, we recommend this other ecology article about what organic and inorganic matter is.

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