Proteins contain what elements?

Proteins contain what elements?

• A. CHONP
• B. CHN
• C. CHON
• D. COHN

Answer: (C)

Proteins are built from amino acids, which contain carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. The amino group supplies nitrogen, the carboxyl group brings in carbon and oxygen, and the rest of the molecule is largely carbon and hydrogen. Because these four elements appear in essentially all proteins, CHON is the standard way to describe their elemental makeup. Some proteins do include sulfur in certain amino acids and phosphorus in specific post-translational modifications, but these are not universal. So the elements commonly associated with proteins are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.

Proteins are built from amino acids, which contain carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. The amino group supplies nitrogen, the carboxyl group brings in carbon and oxygen, and the rest of the molecule is largely carbon and hydrogen. Because these four elements appear in essentially all proteins, CHON is the standard way to describe their elemental makeup. Some proteins do include sulfur in certain amino acids and phosphorus in specific post-translational modifications, but these are not universal. So the elements commonly associated with proteins are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.