The Role Of ATP in Metabolism

Question 1

What is the structure of ATP?

Answer 1

ATP is a nucleotide consisting of an organic base, adenine, a five carbon sugar, ribose , and a sequence of three phosphate groups linked together.

Question 2

What are the two forms of phosphorylation?

Answer 2

Oxidative phosphorylation and photo phosphorylation.

Question 3

Where does oxidative phosphorylation occur?

Answer 3

Oxidative phosphorylation occurs on the membranes of the mitochondria during aerobic respiration.

Question 4

Where does photo phosphorylation occur?

Answer 4

Photo phosphorylation occurs on the membranes of the chloroplasts during photosynthesis.

Question 5

What are the advantages of having ATP as an intermediate source of energy compared with glucose?

Answer 5

Only one enzyme is needed to release energy from ATP while many are needed in the case of glucose.
ATP releases energy in small amounts when and where needed whereas glucose contains large amounts of energy that may not be needed immediately.
ATP provides a common source of energy for many different chemical reactions, increasing efficiency and control by the cell. ATP is in fact known as the “universal energy currency in living organisms”.

Question 6

How many molecules of ATP might a metabolically active cell require per second?

Answer 6

2 million!

Question 7

What does ATP provide the necessary energy for?

Answer 7

Active transport
Muscle contraction
Synthesis of materials within cells
Nerve transmission