| Element |
Symbol |
Atomic Number |
Number of Atoms per Million Hydrogen Atoms |
| Hydrogen |
H
|
1
|
1,000,000 |
| Helium |
He
|
2
|
68,000 |
| Carbon |
C
|
6
|
420 |
| Nitrogen |
N
|
7
|
87 |
| Oxygen |
O
|
8
|
690 |
| Neon |
Ne
|
10
|
98 |
| Sodium |
Na
|
11
|
2 |
| Magnesium |
Mg
|
12
|
40 |
| Aluminum |
Al
|
13
|
3 |
| Silicon |
Si
|
14
|
38 |
| Sulfur |
S
|
16
|
19 |
| Argon |
Ar
|
18
|
4 |
| Calcium |
Ca
|
20
|
2 |
| Iron |
Fe
|
26
|
34 |
| Nickel |
Ni
|
28
|
2 |
The elements are listed in order of increasing atomic number. The cosmic abundance of elements is the composition of the Sun and stars - and the cloud of interstellar gas from which the solar system is thought to have condensed. The "inert" elements, those which to not tend to combine with other elements are helium, neon and argon.
Note that after hydrogen and helium, the next most abundant element is oxygen. When hydrogen and oxygen combine you get H2O - water - making water (usually frozen) the most abundant icy substance. Carbon and nitrogen are also abundant and reactive elements - they combine with hydrogen to make the next most common "ices," methane (CH4) and ammonia (NH3).
|
