Oxygen, Carbon, and Nitrogen OH MY

I did not mean to leave out these super important non-metals in my overview of the periodic table. Therefore based on the feedback I received from Kyla I am going to take a look at all three. All three of these non-metals are quite abundant and easily found in nature and they commonly form covalent bonds. Below is a brief look at each element along with the corresponding Periodic Table of Videos video explanation.

Oxygen: 

This element is perhaps one of the best known to the general public. It is found in group 16 of the periodic table and is highly reactive. Oxygen is the third most abundant element found in the sun and is an important part of the carbon-nitrogen cycle. 21% of the atmosphere is oxygen and about 2/3rds of the human body is composed of this element. There is no doubt that this element is extremely important to us.

Nitrogen: 

This element is found in group 15 of the periodic table and makes up around 78% of the earth's air by volume. It is found in all living systems within biological compounds. When organic matter decomposes you have the formation of sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate these compounds are part of the nitrogen cycle which is extremely important for living organisms. Nitrogen is crucial to life and is a component of all proteins.

Carbon:

Carbon is found in group 14 of the periodic table and is found free in nature as, graphite, diamond, and fullerines. Carbon is also found in the atmosphere within carbon dioxide. Carbon like oxygen and nitrogen it can form a large number of compounds due to the number of valence electrons in their outer shells. Carbon itself is part of close to ten million compounds.

This is only just a very brief look at these three important non-metals. No doubt they are extremely important in the world of chemistry and just having a background on their presence on earth is important. This once again links chemistry and biology together and interconnects my strengths with my weaknesses. Thanks again to Kyla for her feedback and guidance in this matter.