Question

Why are the most abundant elements found in our bodies not the most abundant elements found in Earth's crust? (e.g., What characteristics of the most abundant elements in our bodies make them suitable for life?)

How do the structures of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins (structural and enzymatic), and nucleic acids relate to their functions? Include in your discussion a brief description of the structure of each type of molecule.

Answer 1

The most abundant elements found in human body are 6 elements which comprise of around 99% of the mass of the human body. The 6 most abundant elements are oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, calcium, nitrogen and phosphorus. These 6 essential elements are very important for overall function and metabolism of the body. These elements are responsible for creating the important molecules required by the body. It involves formation of water which is one molecule of oxygen and two molecules of hydrogen. Water is very important for all the metabolic function and regulation of the body. The proteins are molecules that are required for various functions. The carbohydrates have carbon as one of the most essential element and are the most important energy molecule. The nucleic acid like DNA and RNA also are made of essential elements. All of the essential molecules are important to make the necessary molecules important for body functions.

Carbohydrates	The carbohydrates are molecules which consist of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. They are sugar molecules that can be present as single or multiple sugar units and are broken down to provide energy and plays a very important role in human nutrition.
Lipids	The lipids are hydrocarbons which are of different types like fats, waxes, fat soluble vitamins, phospholipids etc. They are hydrophobic and non-polar and consist of multiple hydrocarbon chains.
Proteins	The structural proteins are those which are majorly found for extracellular matrix and cytoskeleton. The structural proteins are keratins, collagens etc and helps in structural framework of various organs and connective tissues. The enzymatic proteins are those which help in speeding up the chemical reactions.
Nucleic Acid	The nucleic acid consists of sugar molecule, phosphate backbone and base. They are biopolymers or small biomolecules and composed of nucleotide and it carries the genetic information.