What element is found in all organic molecules?
Life involves the most complex chemistry known to man. The chemical composition of the human body is known down to the microgram, but we are unable to replicate even the simplest living thing in the lab. Knowing the chemicals involved and understanding how the reaction mechanisms fit together are two different things. The human body is composed mostly of hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen. All compounds found in the body are classified into two major groups: organic or inorganic. The class is determined only by the presence or absence of carbon. Organic compounds contain carbon, inorganic compounds do not. Although this page is about organic molecules, many of the molecules below could not be synthesized by the body without essential minerals in the diet. Important Organic Molecules: • Carbohydrates • Carbohydrates are sugars and starches containing hydrogen, oxygen, carbon. • They are important metabolically as the major energy storage molecules for living organisms. • Carbohydrat
