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A trace element is a chemical element of a minute quantity, a trace amount, especially used in referring to a micronutrient, [1] [2] but is also used to refer to minor elements in the composition of a rock, or other chemical substance. In nutrition, trace elements are classified into two groups: essential trace elements, and non-essential trace ...
Trace metals are sometimes referred to as trace elements, although the latter includes minerals and is a broader category. See also Dietary mineral . Trace elements are required by the body for specific functions.
[1] [2] [3] Minerals are one of the four groups of essential nutrients; the others are vitamins, essential fatty acids, and essential amino acids. [4] The five major minerals in the human body are calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and magnesium. [2] The remaining minerals are called "trace elements".
In geochemistry, compatibility is a measure of how readily a particular trace element substitutes for a major element within a mineral. Compatibility of an ion is controlled by two things: its valence and its ionic radius. [1] Both must approximate those of the major element for the trace element to be compatible in the mineral.
Plants tend not to use vitamins, although minerals are required. [8] [17] Structure of the Mn 4 O 5 Ca core of the oxygen-evolving site in plants, illustrating one of many roles of the trace mineral, manganese. [18] Some seven trace elements are essential to plant growth, although often in trace quantities. [citation needed]
Skinner's (2005) definition of a mineral takes this matter into account by stating that a mineral can be crystalline or amorphous. [21] Although biominerals are not the most common form of minerals, [31] they help to define the limits of what constitutes a mineral proper. Nickel's (1995) formal definition explicitly mentioned crystallinity as a ...
Vitamins and minerals are essential to the proper functioning and maintenance of the human body. [114] There are 20 trace elements and minerals that are essential in small quantities to body function and overall human health. [114] Iron deficiency is the most common inadequate nutrient worldwide, affecting approximately 2 billion people. [115]
In biochemistry, an ultratrace element is a chemical element that normally comprises less than one microgram per gram of a given organism (i.e. less than 0.0001% by weight), but which plays a significant role in its metabolism.