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Roles of ATP

ATP is the immediate energy source of a cell.ATP is a short term energy store because its bonds are unstable.Cells do not store large quantities of ATP and maintain only a few seconds supply. As a result ATP is continuously synthesised.

ATP is easily hydrolysed in a single reaction. The reaction has a low activation energy and releases sufficient energy for most cellular processes.Glucose releases 2870 kJmol^-1 of energy. ATP releases 30.5 kJmol^-1 of energy. This is sufficient for most cellular reactions so less energy is wasted.ATP is used for metabolic processes, movement, active transport, secretion and the activation of molecules.

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Specification: AQA Biology (7401), AS-level, 3.1.6 ATP. Topic: Nucleic Acids.

Key terms in this lesson

hydrolysis: The breaking of a covalent bond within a molecule using a water molecule.
activation energy: The minimum amount of energy needed for reactant molecules to collide and react.
ATP: Adenosine triphosphate, a nucleotide that acts as the immediate energy source in cells, releasing energy when hydrolysed to ADP and phosphate.
active transport: The movement of molecules or ions across a membrane from a region of lower to higher concentration, against the concentration gradient, using ATP and carrier proteins.

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