Table 4.
Total number of atoms constituting viruses, obtained by the atom counting method. For each virus, the number of atoms is given for the entire virion (nucleocapsid + envelope) and the nucleocapsid. The last column presents the molar mass of entire virions, in Daltons. The molar masses of all three viruses are similar.
| Name | Total atoms per virion |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | H | O | N | P | S | Total | Molar mass (Da) | |
| SARS-CoV-2: Entire virus | 1.010E+07 | 1.656E+07 | 2.881E+06 | 2.325E+06 | 6.523E+04 | 3.804E+04 | 3.197E+07 | 2.200E+08 |
| SARS-CoV-2: Nucleocapsid | 4.951E+06 | 7.778E+06 | 1.709E+06 | 1.547E+06 | 2.990E+04 | 1.658E+04 | 1.603E+07 | 1.178E+08 |
| MERS: Entire virus | 1.014E+07 | 1.654E+07 | 2.875E+06 | 2.287E+06 | 6.569E+04 | 4.595E+04 | 3.195E+07 | 2.200E+08 |
| MERS: Nucleocapsid | 4.938E+06 | 7.697E+06 | 1.669E+06 | 1.516E+06 | 3.012E+04 | 1.658E+04 | 1.587E+07 | 1.165E+08 |
| SARS: Entire virus | 1.011E+07 | 1.654E+07 | 2.883E+06 | 2.340E+06 | 6.511E+04 | 4.151E+04 | 3.198E+07 | 2.203E+08 |
| SARS: Nucleocapsid | 4.983E+06 | 7.807E+06 | 1.717E+06 | 1.573E+06 | 2.975E+04 | 1.658E+04 | 1.613E+07 | 1.187E+08 |