Question

Which choice ranks the elements hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen in order of decreasing dry mass in human cells a. O→C→H→Nb. C→N→O→Hc. O→H→C→Nd. C→O→H→N

Answer 1

Answer: The order of decreasing dry mass in human cells is C→O→H→N

Explanation:

Dry mass of the element in human cells means the mass of elements which have lost all the water.

Human cells consist of many chemical elements. Some of them are: Carbon (C), hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), sulfur (S), potassium (K), sodium (Na), chlorine (Cl), magnesium (Mg) and many more.

Most abundant element found in the human cells is carbon.

The composition of the dry mass of the elements in human cells are:

Carbon = 47 %

Oxygen = 30 %

Hydrogen = 9 %

Nitrogen = 8 %

Phosphorus = 3 %

Sulfur + Potassium + Calcium + Sodium + Chlorine + Magnesium = 2 %

Other elements = 1 %

The decreasing order of dry mass of elements in human cells is:

$C>O>N>H$

Hence, the order of decreasing dry mass in human cells is C→O→H→N