Question

focus question: can you separate out iron from breakfast cereal? background information: foods, like breakfast cereals, give our bodies the matter and energy we need to live. most of the matter in food is made of large carbon compounds called carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. these are all compounds made by living organisms. for example, plants make sugars and therefore are a good source of carbohydrates, while animal tissue is rich in proteins. vitamins and minerals also come from food but are required in much smaller amounts by our bodies. minerals, like iron and magnesium, are present in the soil and are absorbed by plants through their roots. we obtain minerals by eating plants or animals that have eaten plants. minerals are necessary to carry out many of life’s processes. many minerals that our bodies need are in foods. these minerals are all elements and are therefore listed on the periodic table. look at the nutrition facts label for cheerios cereal (right). find each element present in cheerios and write them below. you may reference a periodic table. an example of a necessary mineral found in cereal is iron. iron is a part of the hemoglobin molecule which helps our blood carry oxygen to our body cells. iron also helps our muscles store and use oxygen and is a part of several enzymes that help chemical reactions occur in our cells. when our bodies don’t have enough iron, many parts of our bodies are affected. we get iron by eating a variety of foods, including beans, poultry, red meat, and fortified cereals.

Explanation:

Step1: Identify elements from nutrition label

From the Cheerios nutrition - label, we can identify elements such as sodium (Na), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn).

Step2: Fill in the table

Element in Cheerios	Chemical Symbol
Potassium	K
Calcium	Ca
Iron	Fe
Phosphorus	P
Magnesium	Mg
Zinc	Zn

Answer:

Element in Cheerios	Chemical Symbol
Potassium	K
Calcium	Ca
Iron	Fe
Phosphorus	P
Magnesium	Mg
Zinc	Zn