Atp holds what type of energy

You starve the fire of oxygen, and the flame flickers out. If a metabolic reaction is aerobic, it requires oxygen. Buy why? Here's an analogy. Think about lighting a campfire. What do you need? You need fuel the wood , you need heat it's harder to light a fire when it's cold , and you need oxygen because another word for burning is " oxidizing " and, as you might guess, it can only occur in the presence of oxygen.

Oxidizing something causes it to lose electrons, which means that energy the electrons is released when you oxidize, or burn, a fuel. Your food is your fuel. The more bonds in a molecule, the more potential energy it contains. Because the bond in ATP is so easily broken and reformed, ATP is like a rechargeable battery that powers cellular process ranging from DNA replication to protein synthesis. Adenosine triphosphate ATP is comprised of the molecule adenosine bound to three phosphate groups.

Adenosine is a nucleoside consisting of the nitrogenous base adenine and the five-carbon sugar ribose. The three phosphate groups, in order of closest to furthest from the ribose sugar, are labeled alpha, beta, and gamma. Together, these chemical groups constitute an energy powerhouse. The two bonds between the phosphates are equal high-energy bonds phosphoanhydride bonds that, when broken, release sufficient energy to power a variety of cellular reactions and processes.

It has an adenosine backbone with three phosphate groups attached. ATP is a highly unstable molecule. To harness the energy within the bonds of ATP, cells use a strategy called energy coupling. Energy Coupling : Sodium-potassium pumps use the energy derived from exergonic ATP hydrolysis to pump sodium and potassium ions across the cell membrane.

This free energy can be transferred to other molecules to make unfavorable reactions in a cell favorable. Related Concepts 7. You have authorized LearnCasting of your reading list in Scitable. Do you want to LearnCast this session? This article has been posted to your Facebook page via Scitable LearnCast.