ATP and What Makes It So Special

- Structure:
ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is a nucleotide made up of a nucleoside and 3 phosphate
groups

- Nucleoside = adenosine (made of adenine and ribose)

- 3 Phosphates are connected to each other with the innermost one connected to C5 on the
ribose

- How energy is stored in ATP:

Energy in ATP is chemical potential energy. It is stored in the covalent bonds between the
phosphate molecules.

- The bonds between the third and second phosphate molecules yield the most energy and
can be called high energy bonds. However, some say this is inaccurate because it is not
actually the bond which releases energy but the change in the overall energy of the
molecule when the bond is broken that releases energy.

- The so-called high energy bonds release 30.5 kJ per mole when hydrolysed, while the bond
connecting the first phosphate to the ribose yields only 14.2 kJ per mole.

- Why we call ATP an energy currency:

1. ATP is very water soluble and small

2. ATP is easily hydrolysed
3. ATP is a universal intermediary molecule between energy yielding and energy
consuming reactions.
Because of this the cell trades in ATP rather than making many different intermediary
molecules.

- Quick distinction between an energy storage and energy currency molecule

An energy storage molecule, whether long term (fats, starch) or short term (glucose, sucrose)
stores chemical potential energy.

An energy currency molecule in an immediate donor of energy.

- The rate of hydrolysis of ATP (a.k.a interconversion rate / turnover)

The turnover of ATP to ADP is very high (although it is different in different cells according to
their energy requirements).

 The average human uses 40kg of ATP every 24 hours, but has only 5g in their body at any
point. ATP is hydrolysed at a rate of 0.5kg per minute.

Of course, this process is not perfectly efficient and the energy supplied to make ATP and the

energy supplied by the hydrolysis may not match their individual demands. The excess energy
is lost as thermal energy and may enter the blood to warm the body.

- The synthesis of ATP: There are two methods (chemiosmosis and substrate level

phosphorylation) which are discussed together with substrate level phosphorylation.