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What is ATP?
What is ATP? - ATP stands for Adenosine triphosphate
- ATP is a chemical compound that cells would use to store energy or to release energy.
- It is the basic source of energy.
ATP is composed of: - Adenine
- 5 carbon sugar (ribose)
- 3 phosphates groups
- The phosphate groups in ATP is the reason why ATP can store or release energy.
- Storing Energy
- If the cell has extra energy, the cell would store this extra energy in ADP molecules. ADP molecules contain only 2 phosphate groups. Therefore, the stored energy is a phosphate ion added to the ADP molecule.
- Releasing Energy
- The bond between the 2nd and 3rd phosphates in an ATP is broken. The ATP converts to ADP and energy is released.
ATP is important for a variety of functions, such as active transport, muscle contraction and protein synthesis. Although ATP is used for transferring energy, it isn’t good storing large amounts of energy for extended periods of time.Also, visit the following pages:
ATP - Back to Biology Help
What is ATP - Back to SG Learn Online
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