• Question: What are main elements in Antibiotics?

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      Asked by Claireee to ☣ Danna on 10 Jun 2016.
      • Photo: Danna Gifford

        Danna Gifford answered on 10 Jun 2016:

        Hello Clairee,

        The main elements in antibiotics are the same in most living things—that’s because living things (like fungi and bacteria) are what initially produced the antibiotics we know about. Most antibiotics are “organic compounds”, which mean they are made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (and sometimes nitrogen). Some types of antibiotics have special elements as part of what makes them work—like the sulfonamides, which have a sulfur atom. Another group called the “fluoroquinolones” have a fluoride atom.

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