# Metabolism and Elements **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 21, 2005, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metabolism-and-elements/317961 "2005-08-21T07:25:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metabolism-and-elements/317961/1 "2005-08-21T07:25:16Z")
AFAIK, Oxygen is the only substance our bodies can metabolize in its pure elemental form…all other elements are either inert or toxic to us; i.e. you can’t breathe hydrogen, you can’t eat carbon, calcium and phosphorous would kill us. ARE there any elements are bodies process, if only in trace amounts? ---
**Author:** ![bizzwire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/958977/32.png) [@bizzwire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizzwire)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metabolism-and-elements/317961/2 "2005-08-21T13:00:57Z")
What about Iron? It is necessary for hemoglobin’s Oxygen-carrying properties, and is relatively non-toxic. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metabolism-and-elements/317961/3 "2005-08-21T13:14:17Z")
Iwas unaware that burnt toast was deadly poison. ---
**Author:** ![YWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/6f9a4e/32.png) [@YWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YWalker)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metabolism-and-elements/317961/4 "2005-08-21T13:58:02Z")
> [@Padeye](#): > > Iwas unaware that burnt toast was deadly poison. It’s not deadly poision, but I was taught in first aid class that if you didn’t have syrup of ipecac handy that it’s a decent substitute for making people barf up what they’ve ingested. (First choice, of course, is to call 911 or your poison control place and follow their instructions.) ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metabolism-and-elements/317961/5 "2005-08-21T14:05:28Z")
> [@YWalker](#): > > It’s not deadly poision, but I was taught in first aid class that if you didn’t have syrup of ipecac handy that it’s a decent substitute for making people barf up what they’ve ingested. (First choice, of course, is to call 911 or your poison control place and follow their instructions.) I’ve never heard of anyone, anywhere recommending burnt toast to make someone vomit. Maybe you’re thinking of activated charcoal, which can be administered as an antidote to _some_ poisons because of its absorptive properties. ---
**Author:** ![YWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/6f9a4e/32.png) [@YWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YWalker)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metabolism-and-elements/317961/6 "2005-08-21T14:31:59Z")
> [@Uvula Donor](#): > > I’ve never heard of anyone, anywhere recommending burnt toast to make someone vomit. > > Maybe you’re thinking of activated charcoal, which can be administered as an antidote to _some_ poisons because of its absorptive properties. You’re correct; I was thinking of it as being a substitute for activated charcoal rather than syrup of ipecac. But, according to [The Oklahoma Poison Control Center](http://www.oklahomapoison.org/general/activated.asp), the little factoid I was taught about substituting burnt toast for activated charcoal is not a good plan, either. And please note that I did state that the first choice is to call 911 or the poison control center and follow their instructions. Even if you do have activated charcoal around, it’s not always the advisable choice (based upon the poisons that have been ingested.) ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metabolism-and-elements/317961/7 "2005-08-21T14:54:17Z")
> [@Padeye](#): > > Iwas unaware that burnt toast was deadly poison. He didn’t say carbon was a deadly poison - he said “…all other elements are either inert or toxic to us…”. Carbon would fall in the first category. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metabolism-and-elements/317961/8 "2005-08-21T14:59:27Z")
Iodine, zinc, manganese and copper are rather necessary for survival too. And let’s not quibble too much about whether we get them in their “pure, elemental form”. Oxygen, in it’s “pure” form is a highly toxic atom. Our body uses O[sub]2[/sub], a stable molecule, and not a pure element. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metabolism-and-elements/317961/9 "2005-08-21T15:24:48Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > Iodine, zinc, manganese and copper are rather necessary for survival too. > > And let’s not quibble too much about whether we get them in their “pure, elemental form”. Oxygen, in it’s “pure” form is a highly toxic atom. Our body uses O[sub]2[/sub], a stable molecule, and not a pure element. I would think that molecular formations that are made up of the same element qualify as ‘pure element.’ It is not mixed or tainted with any other substance, it is just arranged into a particular formation. O atoms by themselves might be described as a number of things that O2 molecules are not, but they are equally ‘pure’ oxygen. So is Oxone. Of course, we don’t tend to breathe pure O2 molecules, in the sense of taking a breath and drawing nothing into our lungs but O2… we also breathe a lot of N2 and certain other gases that are present in air. However, breathing pure O2 would be about the same, as long as the concentration wasn’t high enough to give us oxygen poisoning, right?? ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metabolism-and-elements/317961/10 "2005-08-21T15:25:56Z")
d’oh. Ozone, I meant. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metabolism-and-elements/317961/11 "2005-08-21T18:18:33Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > And let’s not quibble too much about whether we get them in their “pure, elemental form”. Oxygen, in it’s “pure” form is a highly toxic atom. Our body uses O[sub]2[/sub], a stable molecule, and not a pure element. I agree one shouldn’t quibble…O[sub]2[/sub] is pure oxygen in my book. Monotomic oxygen doesn’t exist in nature, AFAIK. On the other hand, O[sub]3[/sub], or ozone, is highly toxic and does occur in nature. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metabolism-and-elements/317961/12 "2005-08-21T18:39:07Z")
Is hydrogen gas biologically inert, or does it have chemical effects when dissolved in water? Other than some references to hydrogen being used as a breathing mixture underwater, I couldn’t find anything definitive. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metabolism-and-elements/317961/13 "2005-08-21T20:24:56Z")
Hydrogen is not inert, you are thinking of helium which is an inert gas that only exists monatomically and is often used in place of nitrogen in breathing air for divers. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metabolism-and-elements/317961/14 "2005-08-21T22:14:29Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > Iodine, zinc, manganese and copper are rather necessary for survival too. > > And let’s not quibble too much about whether we get them in their “pure, elemental form”. Oxygen, in it’s “pure” form is a highly toxic atom. Our body uses O[sub]2[/sub], a stable molecule, and not a pure element. I think quibbling is necessary here, since the OP was so unclear on the concept. We don’t use any metals in their pure elemental form. since they are so rare in nature and we never eat them except in a chemically combined molecule. Oxygen happens to combine with itself in its molecule, but it’s never found in pure elemental form either. The proper answer to the OP is no elements at all, including oxygen. We need lots of elements, but that’s a different answer for a different question. Sorry, but how often does one get to disagree with QtM on medicine? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metabolism-and-elements/317961/15 "2005-08-21T22:30:59Z")
**Exapno Mapcase** sorry, you lose, **QtM** is.correct. The air you breathe has only 21% oxygen in it. Pure oxygen is very toxic. Breathing it for any length of time( more than a few hours) will damage the lungs. Calcium in Tums® is pretty close to elemental its broken down in the stomach to its elemental form. The carbonate it a fixative. You could, indeed eat pure calcium without harm some pregnant women develope [Pica](http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic1798.htm) and eat blackboard chalk, which is calcuim. \*\* YWalker\*\*, carbon, in the form of charcoal (like burnt toast), is used to absorb poison still in the stomach. It isn’t really available to the body, it passes through, basicly, unchanged, but it certainly won’t hurt you. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metabolism-and-elements/317961/16 "2005-08-21T23:04:06Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > You could, indeed eat pure calcium without harm some pregnant women develope [Pica](http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic1798.htm) and eat blackboard chalk, which is calcuim. 1. Elemental calcium is extremely reactive and will produce flammable gas and serious amounts of heat when exposed to water. Calcium doesn’t react as fast or produce as much heat as elemental sodium. but it’s not far enough behind to be considered safe for consumption. You could eat it but only in the same way as you can eat lit matches: in small amounts, if you know excactly what you are doing and don’t mind occasional minor burns to the mouth. That’s not realy edible, it simply fails to be deadly in small amounts. 2. Blackboard chalk is not calcium. Blackboard chalk is simply calcium carbonate. There’s no need to be a pregnant woman to eat chalk. As you yourself point out it is chemically identical to many commercial antacids and calcium tablets. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metabolism-and-elements/317961/17 "2005-08-22T01:06:39Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > **Exapno Mapcase** sorry, you lose, **QtM** is.correct. > The air you breathe has only 21% oxygen in it. Pure oxygen is very toxic. Breathing it for any length of time( more than a few hours) will damage the lungs. > Calcium in Tums® is pretty close to elemental its broken down in the stomach to its elemental form. The carbonate it a fixative. You could, indeed eat pure calcium without harm some pregnant women develope [Pica](http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic1798.htm) and eat blackboard chalk, which is calcuim. > \*\* YWalker\*\*, carbon, in the form of charcoal (like burnt toast), is used to absorb poison still in the stomach. > It isn’t really available to the body, it passes through, basicly, unchanged, but it certainly won’t hurt you. I think you badly misread my post. The oxygen in the air is a molecule, O[sub]2[/sub], not elemental oxygen, O. We don’t breath elemental oxygen ever. We don’t eat elemental metals either. Or elemental calcium. As **Blake** stated, all the calcium in Tums, in chalk, in any supplement, and in any food is combined into a salt form - calcium carbonate, citrate, lactate, or other. The body may be able to extract elemental calcium from these forms but it needs to do so - always - from non-elemental forms. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metabolism-and-elements/317961/18 "2005-08-22T01:58:04Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > I think you badly misread my post. The oxygen in the air is a molecule, O[sub]2[/sub], not elemental oxygen, O. We don’t breath elemental oxygen ever. > > We don’t eat elemental metals either. Or elemental calcium. As **Blake** stated, all the calcium in Tums, in chalk, in any supplement, and in any food is combined into a salt form - calcium carbonate, citrate, lactate, or other. The body may be able to extract elemental calcium from these forms but it needs to do so - always - from non-elemental forms. Sorry, you’re right, I did mis-read your post. I’ll be going now… :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metabolism-and-elements/317961/19 "2005-08-22T02:40:05Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > Sorry, but how often does one get to disagree with QtM on medicine? 😉 You’re disagreeing with me when I said we don’t use elemental oxygen? My point was that we _don’t_ use the element, so we shouldn’t quibble over whether we do or not. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metabolism-and-elements/317961/20 "2005-08-22T03:48:18Z")
No, I was disagreeing with you when you said we shouldn’t quibble about getting the metallic elements in elemental form. I thought we should very much quibble. But we’re all saying the same thing now. I don’t think we have any quarrel. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metabolism-and-elements/317961.md?page=2)