The Chemistry of Boogers

Introduction

Boogers, also known as snot, are dried up bits of mucus often found in ones nostrils. They form there to catch particles in the air and keep them out of your lungs. I chose to research boogers because they're kind of gross, and no one ever asks about what they're made of. My life is affected by boogers every day. They keep the dirt out of my lungs, lubricate my nostrils and other parts of the body, and in grade school they were often an afternoon snack.

Composition of ...

    • Glycoproteins (made of amino acids such as asparagine (C 4 H 8 N 2 O 3 ))
    • Lipids (Fats)
    • Salts
    • Water (Makes up 95%)
    • Carbon
  • Nitrogen

Main Chemicals, Compounds, Components

WATER (H₂O)

    • Chemical compound with 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom.
    • Essential to human life
    • Makes slimy part of the boogie

PROTEINS

    • Made from breakdown of sugars in body (glucose to ATP)
    • Molecules made of long strands of amino acids
    • Make the solid parts of the boogie

Chemistry's Role

H2O

    • Comes into body from drinking, or eating foods
      • especially water rich food like plants
    • Body is around 60% Water

PROTEINS

C 4 H 8 N 2 O 3

    • Cells must put amino acids in right order
    • Decoding DNA
    • Copies into RNA
    • mRNA is taken by ribosomes which put proteins together
    • Sugar to ATP, Oxygen, and Water
    • to give cells energy to create proteins

Background Research

Boogers are made inside the body through the breakdown of sugars into energy, like all other biological processes. Boogers are used to catch foreign objects in the air to keep objects out of your lungs. Also, humans swallow up to 200 calories of snot each day.

Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mucus

Background on Mucus

http://coolefitness.com/blog/number-of-calories-in-boogers/

Calories in Boogers

Ingredients in Boogers

http://www.chacha.com/question/what-chemical-elements-make-up-boogers

Elements in Boogers

http://hubpages.com/hub/Mucus-in-the-Human-Body

Mucus in the Body

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycoprotein

Glycoproteins (They’re in boogers)

https://water.usgs.gov/edu/propertyyou.html

Water in the body

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adenosine_triphosphate

ATP and energy (proteins also)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water

Water info

About the Author

Tate Volbrecht is a junior at Billings Senior High School. He enjoys learning about chemistry and other sciences, reading, music, debate team and spending time with his friends. He is a member of National Honor Society, varsity track, and is a two time National Qualifier in Lincoln Douglas Debate and two year All State Debate.