Science and Health Series
Myth of Organic and Inorganic Minerals

by Sang Whang

Health food industry has come up with a new gimmick trying to sell “health food”.  They tell people that inorganic minerals are not absorbed by human body and only the organic minerals are effective in human body; therefore, one must intake healthy food with organic minerals.  This is the most irresponsible statement by someone who has no basic understandings of chemistry, atoms and molecules. 

In the periodic table of elements, there are 107 elements with all different atomic number and atomic weights.  Each element has a number of protons and neutrons that give the weight of the element and they are surrounded by spinning electrons, whose number is equal to the number of protons.  Since the protons have positive charge and the electrons have negative charge, each elements are electrically balanced all by itself. 

Electrons spin around very fast.  That is the only way that the electrons do not collide with protons.  They form layers of orbital spheres.  Depending upon the number of the electrons on the outer most layer, the stability of the electrons changes, in other words, the elements have a tendency to give up an electron or two, or strong tendency to pull away an electron or two from other elements near by. 

An element which gives up an electron becomes positively charged.  Alkaline minerals are in this category.  An element which pulls away additional electrons from other element becomes negatively charged, and these are acid minerals.  In general, in the periodic table of the elements, the elements on the left hand side are alkaline minerals and the right side, the acid minerals.  All these minerals are inorganic minerals. 

Some elements have very stable electron orbit structure and they are called inert elements.  Gold is the most inert element that does not react with other elements.  That’s why it is the most precious metal. 

Common positive metals in the order of active reaction potential is listed below.

Potassium is the most active and gold is the most inert mineral. 

K, Potassium; Na, Sodium; Ca, Calcium; Mg, Magnesium; Al, Aluminum; Zn, Zinc; Fe, Iron; Ni, Nickel; Sn, Tin; Co, Cobalt; Mn, Manganese; Pb, Lead; Cu, Copper; Hg, Mercury; Ag, Silver; Pt, Platinum; Au, Gold.  

If a higher power mineral is injected into an aqueous solution containing lower power mineral compound, the higher power mineral replaces the lower power mineral.  The ion exchange in a water softener works with this principle.  Hard water contains too much calcium compounds and sodium chlorides (salt tablets) are interjected into the water softener to removed calcium and occupy the place where calcium was and the calcium is combined with the chlorine to form calcium chloride and calcium chloride precipitates to the bottom of the unit that is back washed out periodically.  This is why the water from water softener contains less calcium but contains sodium.  Each mineral atom has its own oxygen reduction power. 

The pH value of the alkaline water is determined by the number of hydroxyl ions (OH-) in the water.  However, the minerals that are mated with the hydroxyl ions can have different redox potentials.  The OH- ions are used to neutralize H+ ions and make H2O; however, the alkaline minerals in the alkaline water are used to replace the lower power minerals in the aqueous solution. 

When the cells produce too much poisonous acid such as sulfuric acid, the body robs calcium from the bones and changes it to calcium sulfate.  It is a little safer acidic salt.  If the alkaline water contains minerals stronger than calcium, such as potassium and sodium can kick out calcium and return them to the bones and the potassium-sulfate can be discharged easily because it dissolves better than calcium sulfate. 

All these minerals in our body functioning to balance the acid and alkaline to survive are inorganic minerals.  The human body does not make distinction where and how the minerals come from.  This notation of inorganic minerals are useless because the body does not assimilate and throws them out unless it came in the form of organic minerals are totally irresponsible. 

Table salt, sodium chloride, is a combination of two inorganic minerals, namely sodium and chlorine.  There is nothing organic about it.  However, the body assimilates them and can cause many changes in our body.  I am concerned about the people who knows nothing about the basics of chemistry but making irresponsible statements to sell their products. 

There is no such thing as organic minerals.  All minerals that play many functions in our body are inorganic minerals.

2002 by Sang Whang Enterprises, Inc.

Used with Permission