Chemicals of the Earth

The earth has a layered structure. It has a solid core, a liquid core, the mantle and the
crust. The crust is the top of the earth. It is made up of the hydrosphere and the
lithosphere. Above that we have the atmosphere.

The Lithosphere

Moving from the centre of the earth upwards, the first portion of the crust is the
lithosphere. It is made of rock and soil, which are mixtures of minerals. Minerals are
naturally occurring solid elements or compounds with a definite composition or
range of compositions. Examples of minerals include: quartz; calcite; kaolinite;
pyroxene, etc. Few elements are found uncombined in the lithosphere, but some
examples are gold, sulphur and carbon.

Elemen Abundance in the crust (%w/w) Element Abundance in the Earth

t (%w/w)
O 46.6 Fe 35
Si 27.7 O 30
Al 8.2 Si 15
Fe 5.0 Mg 13
Ca 3.6 Ni 2.4
Na 2.8 S 1.9
K 2.6 Ca 1.1
Mg 2.1 Al 1.1
Others 1.4 Others
Table 2 Abundance of the elements <1
in the whole Earth
Table 1 Abundance of the elements in the Earth's crust

The Hydrosphere

Next is the hydrosphere. As suggested by the name, this is the water component,
including the Earth’s oceans, seas, lakes, rivers and underground water. In this
water there are also varying quantities of compounds containing chlorine, sodium,
magnesium, potassium, calcium, sulphur, bromine, and many other elements. The
hydrosphere has a varying composition; so depending on where you look in the
hydrosphere you will find different compositions (for example, there is a large
difference between fresh and sea water). Many of these elements are easily separated
out of water by the process of evaporation.

Elemen Abundance (%w/w)

t
O 86.0
H 10.8
Cl 1.9
Na 1.1
Mg 0.1
Table 3 Abundance of elements in sea water

The Atmosphere

Finally, we have the atmosphere. The atmosphere is the air that surrounds the earth. It
is a mixture composed mostly of uncombined lighter elements like nitrogen, oxygen
and argon.

Gas Composition Composition (%w/w)

(%v/v)
N2 78.09 75.3
O2 20.94 23.1
Ar 0.93 1.3
CO2 0.037 0.049
Ne 0.0018 0.0013
He 0.0005 0.0007
CH4 (methane) 0.00015 0.00008
Table 4 Abundance of the gases in the atmosphere

The Biosphere

The biosphere is the region of the Earth where living things are found. The
ecosystems in which these life forms are found occupy the hydrosphere, lithosphere
and the atmosphere. Most living things are composed of cells. Cells contain large
amounts of water so oxygen and hydrogen are abundant in the biosphere. Carbon
compounds are the basis of life. Cells contain complex carbon compounds such as
carbohydrates, fats, proteins and nucleic acids. Nitrogen and sulphur are important
elements in proteins, while calcium and phosphorus are important structural
elements in bones and membranous tissue.

Elemen Abudance (%w/w)

t
O 60.0
C 21.0
H 11.0
N 3.5
Ca 2.5
 P 1.2
Cl 0.2
S 0.15
Table 5 must abundant elements in living cells