trace element
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Encyclopedic overview
A trace element is a chemical element of a minute quantity, a trace amount, especially used in referring to a micronutrient, but is also used to refer to minor elements in the composition of a rock, or other chemical substance.
In nutrition, trace elements are classified into two groups: essential trace elements, and non-essential trace elements. Essential trace elements are needed for many physiological and biochemical processes in both plants and animals. Not only do trace elements play a role in biological processes but they also serve as catalysts to engage in redox – oxidation and reduction mechanisms. Trace elements of some heavy metals have a biological role as essential micronutrients.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “trace element” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.