ATP

• ATP: adenosine triphosphate.

  • plants and animals: release energy from glucose- respiration
  • energy released from glucose is used to make ATP
  • ATP structure:
  • adenine: nitrogen-containing organic base
  • ribose: 5C ring sugar molecule
  • phosphate: chain of three phosphate groups
  • ATP diffuse to part of cell that needs energy
  • energy in ATP stored in high energy bonds between phosphate groups, released via hydrolysis reaction
• When energy is needed, ATP is broken down into ADP (adenosine phosphate) and Pi (inorganic phosphate)
• In the hydrolysis reaction, the phosphate bond in ATP is broken, releasing energy; this reaction is catalyzed by the enzyme ATP hydrolase
• ATP hydrolysis can be coupled to other energy-requiring reactions in the cell, where the energy is used directly to make the coupled reaction occur without being lost as heat
• Phosphate (Pi) released from ATP can be added to another compound through phosphorylation, making the compound more reactive
• ATP is resynthesized in a condensation reaction between ADP and Pi, which occurs in respiration and photosynthesis and is catalyzed by ATP synthase