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The value of a human body in chemicals varies drastically depending on whether you calculate the cost of raw elements, refined compounds, or biological "assembly." 

1. Raw Elements: $1 to $160 

If you reduce a 70kg (154lb) body to its basic chemical elements (oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, etc.), the market value is remarkably low. 

Basic Estimate: Many classic calculations place the value between $1 and $5.

Detailed Market Price: More modern inventories using standard industrial prices estimate the total at roughly $160.

Key Components: Over 99% of your mass consists of just six elements: Oxygen (65%), Carbon (18.5%), Hydrogen (9.5%), Nitrogen (3.3%), Calcium (1.5%), and Phosphorus (1%). 

2. Lab-Grade Pure Elements: ~$150,000

If you were to purchase these same elements in their most expensive, chemically pure forms from a scientific supplier, the cost sky-rockets.

Total Cost: Author Bill Bryson and other sources calculate this at over $150,000.

Example: While carbon from charcoal is cheap, high-purity laboratory carbon or rare trace elements like rubidium and potassium metal are significantly more expensive to acquire. 

3. Biological "Assembly" & Molecules: $6 Million to $45 Million

The value increases exponentially when elements are organized into complex biological molecules and tissues.

Complex Molecules: A Yale University biochemist famously estimated that the refined enzymes, proteins, and DNA within a human body would cost approximately $6 million to synthesize in a lab.

Total Biological Assets: If considering the "market value" of organs, fluids, and specialized proteins (like transferrin), some estimates reach as high as $45 million. For instance, a single gram of bone marrow is valued at roughly $23,000.