ATP

What is ATP? ATP stands for adenosine triphosphate. It is one of the principal chemical compounds that living things use to store and release energy.

ATP is composed of… Adenine A 5-carbon sugar called ribose 3 phosphate groups

3 Phosphate 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 & ADP: ATP: 3 phosphate groups ADP: 2 phosphate groups