Chemical Composition of the Oceans

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The table below shows the approximate quantities of the chemical elements present in a litre of sea water. Note that there may be significant variation in the concentrations of the less abundant elements                   

Element            

Amount / mg L-1   

Amount / Mol m-3

Oxygen 857000 53600
Hydrogen 108000 107000
Chlorine 19400 547
Sodium 10800 470
Magnesium 1290 53 .1
Titanium 1000 20 .9
Sulphur 905 28 .2
Calcium 412 10 .27
Potassium 399 10 .21
Bromine 67 .3 0 .842
Carbon 28 2 .33
Strontium 7 .9 0 .090
Boron 4 .44 0 .0411
Silicon 2 .2 0 .0783
Fluorine 1 .3 0 .0684
Nitrogen 0 .5 0 .0357
Argon 0 .45 0 .113
Lithium 0 .18 0 .0259
Rubidium 0 .12 0 .0014
Iodine 0 .06 0 .00047
Phosphorus 0 .06 0 .0019
Indium 0 .02 0 .00017
Barium 0 .013 0 .000095
Molybdenum 0 .01 0 .00010
Zinc 0 .0049 0 .000075
Arsenic 0 .0023 0 .000049
Uranium 0 .0032 0 .000013
Vanadium 0 .0025 0 .000049
Aluminium 0 .002 0 .000074
Iron 0 .002 0 .000036
Nickel 0 .00056 0 .0000095
Chromium 0 .0003 0 .0000058
Caesium 0 .0003 0 .0000023
Copper 0 .00025 0 .0000039
Antimony 0 .00024 0 .0000020
Krypton 0 .00021 0 .0000025
Manganese 0 .00020 0 .0000036
Selenium 0 .00020 0 .0000025
Neon 0 .00012 0 .0000059
Cadmium 0 .00011 0 .00000090
Tungsten 0 .00010 0 .00000054
Germanium 0 .00005 0 .00000069
Xenon 0 .00005 0 .00000038
Silver 0 .00004 0 .00000037
Gallium 0 .00003 0 .00000043
Mercury 0 .00003 0 .00000015
Lead 0 .00003 0 .00000015
Zirconium 0 .00003 0 .00000033
Bismuth 0 .00002 0 .00000010
Cobalt 0 .00002 0 .000000339
Thallium 0 .000019 0 .000000093
Yttrium 0 .000013 0 .000000146
Niobium 0 .000010 0 .000000108
Helium 0 .000007 0 .0000017
Hafnium 0 .000007 3.9×10-8
Beryllium 0 .0000056 6.2×10-7
Gold 0 .0000040 2.0×10-8
Rhenium 0 .0000040 2.2×10-8
Tin 0 .0000040 3.4×10-8
Lanthanum 0 .0000034 2.5×10-8
Neodymium 0 .0000028 2.0×10-8
Tantalum 0 .0000020 1.1×10-8
Cerium 0 .0000012 8.6×10-9
Thorium 0 .0000010 4.3×10-9
Dysprosium 0 .00000091 5.6×10-9
Erbium 0 .00000087 5.2×10-9
Ytterbium 0 .00000082 4.7×10-9
Gadolinium 0 .00000070 4.5×10-9
Ruthenium 0 .00000070 7.9×10-9
Praseodymium 0 .00000064 4.5×10-9
Scandium 0 .00000060 1.3×10-8
Samarium 0 .00000045 3.0×10-9
Holmium 0 .00000022 1.3×10-9
Thulium 0 .00000017 1×10-9
Lutetium 0 .00000015 9×10-10
Terbium 0 .00000014 9×10-10
Europium 0 .00000013 9×10-10
Radium 8.9×10-11 4×10-13
Protactinium 5.0×10-11 2×10-13
Polonium 1.5×10-14 7×10-17
Radon 6.0×10-16 3×10-18
             
pie chart showing proportions of the most common elements



Related links

Periodic Table

Dielectric Constant of Water

Chemical Composition of the Human Body

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This page was last changed on: 13 March 2011.

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