how adenosine triphosphate is the ‘energy currency’ of cells? Is the molecule structured to trap and transfer energy or create it?
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It isn’t “structured to do anything” (which would imply intent). It is just effective way to transfer energy – it’s a complex organic molecule that ends with three P-O-P-O-P bonds (hence the name). In the presence of water, one or two of those bonds can break releasing a certain quantity of energy that can be then used by the cells to do other things. ATP itself is regenerated constantly through metabolism in a number of processes, through breakdown of glucose, citric acid or fat oxidation.
For the short story: ATP is like a truck, carrying excess energy. It takes energy to add the phosphate to the molecule, and the energy can be taken back by breaking it. Its like filling a large truck with water: you need energy to pump the water up, and then you can poor the water down to power a water-wheel for example
For the short story: ATP is like a truck, carrying excess energy. It takes energy to add the phosphate to the molecule, and the energy can be taken back by breaking it. Its like filling a large truck with water: you need energy to pump the water up, and then you can poor the water down to power a water-wheel for example
It isn’t “structured to do anything” (which would imply intent). It is just effective way to transfer energy – it’s a complex organic molecule that ends with three P-O-P-O-P bonds (hence the name). In the presence of water, one or two of those bonds can break releasing a certain quantity of energy that can be then used by the cells to do other things. ATP itself is regenerated constantly through metabolism in a number of processes, through breakdown of glucose, citric acid or fat oxidation.
To be an energy currency, a molecule has to be able to “bear” energy and the system it’s in has to be geared towards being able to put energy on it, and take energy off of it.
Think of it as a structure with two branches, and you can put a strong rubber band on both those branches with a lot of tension. To put on the band, you need to apply a lot of energy. Then this energy is transferred to tension in the band. The band is not very stable, all it takes is a flick and it falls off the branches, snapping and releasing all that tension.
In this analogy, the structure is adenosine, and this structure has three increasingly unstable (energetic) phosphate bonds (so three rubber bands of increasing strength). Organisms have evolved in a way where when food is broken down, by essentially breaking bonds, it eventually ends by taking this energy to make a bond, this phosphoanhydride bond, by adding a phosphate to ADP (a molecule that has only two phosphates) becoming ATP. There are other such molecules too, but ATP is the main one.
Organisms also evolved to use that currency. Think of it as other much bigger structures that when the band snaps off the currency molecule, it lands on another structure before fully shrinking back to its small size, also with branches, and this tension is now applied to a lesser extent to the branches of the new structure. This new structure now has tension on its skeleton, which means it can change shape and do something different to what it did before. This shape change was facilitated by the tension stored in the band when it was on the currency molecule.
It’s difficult to come up with accurate analogies, this one is pretty bad, but I hope it delivers the idea.
To be an energy currency, a molecule has to be able to “bear” energy and the system it’s in has to be geared towards being able to put energy on it, and take energy off of it.
Think of it as a structure with two branches, and you can put a strong rubber band on both those branches with a lot of tension. To put on the band, you need to apply a lot of energy. Then this energy is transferred to tension in the band. The band is not very stable, all it takes is a flick and it falls off the branches, snapping and releasing all that tension.
In this analogy, the structure is adenosine, and this structure has three increasingly unstable (energetic) phosphate bonds (so three rubber bands of increasing strength). Organisms have evolved in a way where when food is broken down, by essentially breaking bonds, it eventually ends by taking this energy to make a bond, this phosphoanhydride bond, by adding a phosphate to ADP (a molecule that has only two phosphates) becoming ATP. There are other such molecules too, but ATP is the main one.
Organisms also evolved to use that currency. Think of it as other much bigger structures that when the band snaps off the currency molecule, it lands on another structure before fully shrinking back to its small size, also with branches, and this tension is now applied to a lesser extent to the branches of the new structure. This new structure now has tension on its skeleton, which means it can change shape and do something different to what it did before. This shape change was facilitated by the tension stored in the band when it was on the currency molecule.
It’s difficult to come up with accurate analogies, this one is pretty bad, but I hope it delivers the idea.
ATP is like a tower of stacked blocks balancing. Each object you add increases the potential energy (representing another chemical bond).
The taller you build it though, the more unstable it gets.
One phosphate is very stable and won’t fall apart.
Two phosphates still pretty stable.
The third phosphate just barely stays up, until a slight breeze pushes it over and it falls, releasing it energy.
The breeze is latent heat energy from other molecules colliding with it. The energy from the fall of the 3rd ATP block is captured (by lets say an air pump) as it lands.
ATP is like a tower of stacked blocks balancing. Each object you add increases the potential energy (representing another chemical bond).
The taller you build it though, the more unstable it gets.
One phosphate is very stable and won’t fall apart.
Two phosphates still pretty stable.
The third phosphate just barely stays up, until a slight breeze pushes it over and it falls, releasing it energy.
The breeze is latent heat energy from other molecules colliding with it. The energy from the fall of the 3rd ATP block is captured (by lets say an air pump) as it lands.
The energy is trapped in the bonds between A and P.
Metabolism from ATP to ADP breaks one bond which releases energy.
The energy is trapped in the bonds between A and P.
Metabolism from ATP to ADP breaks one bond which releases energy.
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