Minerals and Trace Elements: Catalytically Active Metals
1. Significance of the Catalytically Active Metals
Among the metals, a distinction can be made between catalytically highly active metals and catalytically less active metals. 83 chemically stable elements from the periodic table are known, whereby elements 43 technetium and 61 promethium are not stable – thus we have a total of 81 stable elements on Earth. All of these elements play a special role in our body in specific metabolic processes: whether as building material in organs and tissues, as basic building blocks for hormone production or as central atoms in enzyme compounds. Enzymes, for example, accelerate or enable chemical reactions.
The more catalytically active a metal is, the more easily chemical substances can react with one another, because the body has to expend less of its own energy – put simply. This is about reactions that are as energy-saving as possible, an inherent economic principle of life = no waste of energy!
Volcano curve of the catalytically active metals
This graphic (volcano curve of the catalytically active metals) shows which metals can react catalytically how well. Catalytic activity always also means enzymatic activity. The difference between mercury (Hg) and platinum (Pt) amounts to 1 billion!
This means: platinum is a very important metal due to its very high catalytic activity and plays a very significant role in the area of enzymes as a central atom, which is however mostly ignored in the fields of nutrition, food supplements or ecotrophology
2. Catalytically Highly Active Metals: A Blind Spot in Analysis and Evaluation
If we consider catalytically highly active metals, one thing becomes clear. True to the motto: “What I do not know or cannot analyze does not exist or has no significance,” this way of thinking is found above all among specialists in ecotrophology, who in turn issue recommendations that eventually become binding for everyone.
The reason is simple: the elements in the “blind spot,” platinum, iridium, palladium, gold, rhodium and rhenium, cannot be easily dissolved or analyzed and thus statistically recorded – if at all, then only with a great deal of effort. The high lattice energy of these metals is the cause that holds the atoms firmly together. Considerable effort is required to “break open” this lattice/space structure.
The consequence of this: in the analysis of foods and ingredients, these catalytically highly active metals receive no attention. In the end result, they are then precautionarily banned at EU level, while in the USA, for example, they are sold freely as food supplements.
The elements in the “blind spot” are not analyzed and regarded as essential and are thus gradually removed from our food cycle
If these special metals as trace elements in the required quantity no longer find their way into our food cycle via water, the soils (years of monoculture and depleted soils), the plants (can no longer absorb anything from the soil), animals and ultimately our food, a large number of enzyme compounds cannot be produced and function as necessary. The body has to improvise more and more and incorporate “inferior,” yet available metals into the enzyme compounds.
An enzyme with platinum at the center has, in contrast to an iron central atom, a significantly higher catalytic activity by a factor of 1,000 to 10,000 – see graphic. The lack of catalytically active metals in the body leads over time increasingly to functional disorders in metabolism/cell metabolism and restricted repair processes; biologically, this is only a question of time.
Reaction curve: In a chemical reaction there are starting substances = educts and after the reaction = products
3. Metabolism, Metals, Reaction Energy: Reaction Curve
For starting substances to be able to react, a certain level of reaction energy must be present. The energy must be made available in the body during metabolic processes (energy is consumed in the process!). Enzymes make it possible to reduce the level of necessary reaction energy. They act as accelerators and catalysts. Since enzymes have different central atoms/metals at the center, enzymes can lower the necessary reaction energy slightly or very strongly.
Left: catalytically low-activity metal in the enzyme center Right: catalytically high-activity metal in the enzyme center
The catalytically active metals (blind spot of the volcano curve!) in enzymes therefore require only little additional energy from the body to allow the chemical reactions to proceed. Since our body works very economically, it will always try to work via enzymes with catalytically active metals at the center rather than with less catalytically active metals – however, these elements must be present for that.
In principle, the supply of the chemical elements in bioavailable form is optimal. An essential criterion here is the particle size that is easily usable for the body and the correct quantitative ratio – just as nature produces it.
81 stable chemical elements on our Earth
When all necessary building materials (81 chemical elements) are available in the right quantity and at the right place, we have optimal conditions for healthy metabolism and thus healthy cells, organs and well-being. One’s own thinking should not, however, impair or block our cell intelligence. Note: of 83 stable chemical elements (all above are not stable!) elements 43 technetium and 61 promethium are missing because these are not stable.
83 elements – 2 = 81 stable elements 81 = 3 to the power of 4 (3x3x3x3) 1/81 = 0.0123456789(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16) etc. the sequence of consecutive numbers. – a coincidence?
Dr. Peter Plichta, a universal scholar, has as a chemist, mathematician and physicist (he studied all the essential disciplines) produced many interesting and extremely fascinating connections in chemistry, biology, physics and mathematics – the existence of a universal blueprint! His life story is extremely remarkable and I have great respect for his achievements and life’s work. More information on Dr. Peter Plichta ( www.plichta.de ).
The information and suggestions on the catalytically active metals and their significance in enzyme metabolism were made possible by Dr. Andreas Noack, who has been intensively engaged with this (and many other topics) for many years and is highly competent.
Reaction curve: In a chemical reaction there are starting materials = educts and after the reaction = products