Basic elements and their roles Elements are basic ingredients of the animate and inanimate world. Nitrogen (N), sulphur (S), oxygen (O), hydrogen (H), and carbon (C) form organic compounds, i.e. proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and vitamins. App. 1/3 of 104 known elements are components important for organisms, i.e. structural elements of skeleton and soft tissues, and factors regulating many physiological functions, [...]