CHON is a mnemonic acronym for the four most common elements in living organisms: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. The acronym CHNOPS, which stands for ''c''arbon, ''h''ydrogen, ''n''itrogen, ''o''xygen, ''p''hosphorus, ''s''ulfur, represents the six most important chemical elements whose covalent combinations make up most

biological Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary in ...

molecules on Earth. They were created in stars in outer space a long time ago and when a

supernova A supernova is a powerful and luminous explosion of a star. It has the plural form supernovae or supernovas, and is abbreviated SN or SNe. This transient astronomical event occurs during the last evolutionary stages of a massive star or when ...

occurred, these elements were sent into space. All of these elements are

nonmetal In chemistry, a nonmetal is a chemical element that generally lacks a predominance of metallic properties; they range from colorless gases (like hydrogen) to shiny solids (like carbon, as graphite). The electrons in nonmetals behave differentl ...

s. In the human body, these four elements compose about 96% of the weight, and major minerals (macrominerals) and minor minerals (also called trace elements) compose the remainder. Sulfur is contained in the amino acids

cysteine Cysteine (symbol Cys or C; ) is a semiessential proteinogenic amino acid with the formula . The thiol side chain in cysteine often participates in enzymatic reactions as a nucleophile. When present as a deprotonated catalytic residue, sometime ...

and

methionine Methionine (symbol Met or M) () is an essential amino acid in humans. As the precursor of other amino acids such as cysteine and taurine, versatile compounds such as SAM-e, and the important antioxidant glutathione, methionine plays a critical ro ...

. Phosphorus is contained in

phospholipid Phospholipids, are a class of lipids whose molecule has a hydrophilic "head" containing a phosphate group and two hydrophobic "tails" derived from fatty acids, joined by an alcohol residue (usually a glycerol molecule). Marine phospholipids typ ...

s, a class of lipids that are a major component of all cell membranes, as they can form lipid bilayers, which keep ions, proteins, and other molecules where they are needed for cell function, and prevent them from diffusing into areas where they should not be. Phosphate groups are also an essential component of the backbone of

nucleic acid Nucleic acids are biopolymers, macromolecules, essential to all known forms of life. They are composed of nucleotides, which are the monomers made of three components: a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogenous base. The two main cl ...

s (general name for DNA &

RNA Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes. RNA and deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) are nucleic acids. Along with lipids, proteins, and carbohydra ...

) and are required to form

ATP ATP may refer to: Companies and organizations * Association of Tennis Professionals, men's professional tennis governing body * American Technical Publishers, employee-owned publishing company * ', a Danish pension * Armenia Tree Project, non ...

– the main molecule used as energy powering the cell in all living creatures. Carbonaceous asteroids are rich in CHON elements.Water vs. Rocks: Resources for Earth or for Exploration?
SSI-TV video archive, recorded on 30 October 2010, 66:07, four talks and Q&A given during Session 2: ''Extraterrestrial Prospecting'' of the Space Studies Institute’s Space Manufacturing 14 conference in California. Prof. Michael A'Hearn ( University of Maryland) @ 7:10 in the video. ''The video also includes Brad Blair, Space Studies Institute, and Prof. Leslie Gertsch, University of Missouri-Rolla: ''Mining Concepts Development for Accessing Asteroid Resources''; Mark Sonter, Asteroid Enterprises Pty Ltd Resources: ''Asteroids: What We Can Expect From What We Know Now''; Dr. Faith Vilas, University of Arizona, Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory'', Retrieved 2011-01-07. These asteroids are the most common type, and frequently collide with Earth as

meteorite A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or Natural satellite, moon. When the ...

s. Such collisions were especially common early in Earth's history, and these impactors may have been crucial in the formation of the planet's oceans. The simplest compounds to contain all of the CHON elements are isomers fulminic acid (HCNO), isofulminic acid (HONC), cyanic acid (HOCN) and isocyanic acid (HNCO), having one of each atom.

References

External links

"Impact of the Biosphere on the Earth", University of Texas at Dallas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chon Astrobiology Biology and pharmacology of chemical elements Mnemonic acronyms Science mnemonics Science fiction themes Astrochemistry

See also

References

External links