EESA10H3 Lecture 5: EESA10 - Lecture 5.doc
Document Summary
Some other scientists say that this is not true we are going to base this definition on a specific gravity. It is different than metals trace elements can be any element found in environment of lower concentration (very low sometimes hard to detect) Classification of metals: there are 3 basic groupings of the metals. Mechanism of toxicity: metal is attached to protein that means that protein can carry anything because the essential functional groups that need to attach hormone or something else are already satisfied with the metal. Not just humans, plants, other organisms cope with this. First is resistance, simply do not uptake the metal (humans do not have this function, mechanism) Bioavailability of metals: bioavailability is everything that is available to us. Form complexes with any kind of organic metal and as organic they can be bioavailable: compare two elements arsenic and mercury arsenic is less toxic in organic form than in inorganic form.