1 Josh Shaffer Mrs. Rausch Chemistry P.

5 April 6, 2013 Many processes occur simultaneously within organisms in order to sustain life and perpetuate the energy required for them to function. Although humans are among the most intricate of species, many life forms, which are often perceived as being vastly disparate, share surprising similarities at a molecular level. One example of these similarities is the molecule Adenosine Triphosphate. In addition to animals, plants and even bacteria utilize this molecule for various processes (Adenosine Triphosphate ATP). Adenosine Triphosphate, commonly referred to as ATP, is a vital molecule used ubiquitously by organisms in order to store and release energy. Structurally, ATP is composed of a ribose monosaccharide molecule bonded to 3 phosphate ions on one side, and one adenine nucleobase (Adenosine Triphosphate ATP). Adenine is composed of 5 carbon atoms bonded with 5 hydrogen and 5 nitrogen (Adenosine Triphosphate ATP). Adenine forms a single covalent bond with ribose which consists of 5 carbon, 10 hydrogen, and 5 oxygen atoms (Adenosine Triphosphate ATP). The ribose is bonded covalently to a phosphate ion which has another phosphate bonded to it in addition to a final phosphate ion bonded to the previous one (Adenosine Triphosphate ATP). The phosphate ion consists of a phosphate atom at the center, bonded to a tetrahedron of oxygen atoms (Adenosine Triphosphate ATP).

2 As a result of its triple phosphate bond, and overall structure, ATP is highly effective in the storage and release of energy. Although the process of forming ATP is a highly intricate process that involves many steps, the process culminates in two main reactions that store or release its energy. When storing energy, adenosine diphosphate combines with another phosphate ion, in a process known as phosphorylation, resulting in the formation of ATP as potential energy (Prentice Hall Chemistry). During a release of energy, stored ATP is hydrolyzed, causing the outermost phosphate ion to dephosphorylate, resulting in ADP, phosphate, and a release of energy (Prentice Hall Chemistry). The entire process for the production of ATP actually goes far beyond the phosphorylation of ADP and phosphate. It begins with glycolysis, a catabolic process which enables the breakdown of nutrients into simpler substances (Prentice Hall Chemistry). The process of glycolysis eventually leads to the breakdown of glucose into pyruvate (Cellular Respiration). The next major process is known as the tricarboxylic acid cycle, which utilizes enzyme catalyzed reactions that take place in the mitochondrion organelles (Cellular Respiration). After the TCA cycle, the electron transport chain completes the process of forming ATP through the use of oxidative phosphorylation (Cellular Respiration). This requires chemiosmosis to occur, creating the energy that allows ATP to finally be formed (Cellular Respiration). The discovery of ATPs significance as an energy carrier within cells was by no means meteoric. In 1929, ATP was first discovered by the chemist Karl Lohmann, however, it would be many years before scientists acquired a veritable knowledge of how essential this compound is

3 (A brief history of ATP synthase research). Then, in 1935, Vladimir Engelhart noted that muscle contractions require ATP (A brief history of ATP synthase research). At the time, this was one of the first insights into the ubiquity of the recently discovered energy providing compound. Soon afterward, Herman Kalckar recognized the link between ATP and cellular respiration (A brief history of ATP synthase research). In the same year, Fritz Lipmann discovers that ATP is the primary energy carrier in the cell (A brief history of ATP synthase research). Eventually R.J.P. Williams hypothesized that ATP synthase was the result of protons delivering energy from enzymes and proteins (A brief history of ATP synthase research). Finally, Peter Mitchell puts forth the idea of chemiosmosis to explain the final steps of cellular respiration to form ATP (A brief history of ATP synthase research). Today, research regarding ATP continues in various facets of the science community. Much of the research is in regards to continuing to refine our understanding of the complex processes that lead to the formation of ATP. Ongoing research at Cambridge University is seeking alternative structures which may be acting as catalyst enzymes during the hydrolysis phase of ATP formation (Structural evidence of a new)

Within the human body, ATP is used to sustain a plethora of bodily functions. Without a sufficient supply of ATP, the wide range of chemical reactions that occur in a living organism, known as metabolism, would not be able to sustain. ATP is formed in the cell organelle known as the mitochondrion (Cellular Respiration). This organelle is the production center for all ATP used in intracellular activities (Cellular Respiration). Demand for ATP varies depending on the cell functions which must be carried out (Adenosine Triphosphate ATP). The human brain, for example, uses a particularly high amount of the oxygen and sugars people consume (Adenosine Triphosphate ATP). This translates into a rampant production of ATP, and an incessant

4 demand. Despite this particularly high demand for ATP, it cannot be stored for long periods of time, which necessitates perpetual production of the compound (Adenosine Triphosphate ATP). This constant need for ATP production throughout the entire body leads to massive production of this compound daily. However, this comes as no surprise given that everything from an electron impulse to voluntary muscle use requires ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate ATP).

Overall, ATP is one of the most vital compounds being utilized within the human body, and just about every other known living organism in the world. This ever present compound is responsible for the storage and release of nearly all the energy used by the human body. The molecules unique triple phosphate adenosine bond makes it ideal for quick release of energy through hydrolysis. This is supported by its omnipresence in everything from the most highly developed mammals, to the seemingly primitive single celled bacteria.

Sources

Wilbraham, Staley, Matta, Waterman, Prentice Hall Chemistry. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005.

The Determination of Phosphorus and the Discovery of Phosphocreatine and ATP: the Work of Fiske and SubbaRow. www.jbc.org/content/277/32/e21.full

Cellular Respiration. hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/biology/celres.html#c1

A brief history of ATP synthase research. www.atpsynthase.info/History.html

Adenosine Triphosphate ATP. www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/atp/atp1.htm

Structural evidence of a new catalytic intermediate inthe pathway of ATP hydrolysis by F1ATPase frombovine heart mitochondria. www.pnas.org/content/109/28/11139.full.pdf+html?with-ds=yes