ATP & Respiration

ATP

• nucleotide of organic base, adenine, 5 carbon sugar ribose and 3 phosphate groups.
• the bonds between phosphates are unstable and easily broken to release energy by the enzyme ATPase
• ATP + water -> Pi + energy
• this is a reversible reaction 
• ATP can be hydrolysed as required to release 30kj mol-1 energy

advantages of ATP

• hydrolysis is a single reaction releasing immediate energy 
• only one enzyme is needed
• releases energy in small amounts when and where needed
• universal energy source for many chemical reactions

roles of ATP

• metabolic processes- building large complex molecules from simple ones
• active transport- change the shape of carrier proteins in plamsa membranes 
• movement- muscle contraction
• nerve transmission- sodium-potassium pumps in the axon plasma membrane
• secretion- packaging and transport of secretory products into vesicles

 aerobic respiration

glycolysis

cytoplasm

initial stage in aerobic and anaerobic respiration

• glucose activated by phosphorylation making it more reactive with 2 ATP. Provides energy to lower activation energy in enzyme reactions.
• glucose converts to hexose phosphate. splits to 2 3c triose phosphates 
• hydrogen removed from each and transferred to hydrogen carrier NAD to reduced NADH. triose phosphate converts to pyruvic acid. ATP…