how is energy stored in ATP?

Question

frostbite · Answer

Energy is stored in ATP by transferring the energy, of glucose into the bonds of ATP. If we sketch ATP as A-P-P-P the P-P bond contain about 31 kJ/mol if I remember right.

anonymous · Answer

would just add that the energy stored in ATP can also have other sources (e.g. light).

frostbite · Answer

Oh yea that is right, and that if of cause go through metabolic pathways are mostly involved.

anonymous · Answer

i know that breaking the bonds results in energy release, but in the bond itself..how do the repulsions between the negatively charged oxygens result in potential energy?

anonymous · Answer

any covalent bond has energy. In ATP you should also consider the phosphorus.

frostbite · Answer

Well... I don't know if I dare to move out on this field, think ataly might know more about this than I, but ATP don't release ATP when made to ADP, in fact it absorbs potential energy in the surround system. This absorbed energy, is not bond to ATP/ADP it self, but kinda lies as a energy field being able to affect the molecule it is suppose to give energy. The absorption might just be energy such as a result of intermolecular forces.

frostbite · Answer

don't release energy when*

anonymous · Answer

@Frostbite breaking bonds release energy, its just chemistry..but thank you

anonymous · Answer

I might be intrepreting but guess that @Frostbite is refering to the fact that the energy stored by ATP can be used  to form (and usualy originates from) a gradient (potential energy).

aaronq · Answer

"The term 'high energy' with respect to these bonds can be misleading, because the negative free energy change is not due directly to the breaking of the bonds themselves. The breaking of these bonds, as with the breaking of most bonds, is an endergonic step (i.e., it absorbs energy, not releases it). The negative free energy change comes instead from the fact that the bonds formed after hydrolysis-or the phosphorylation of a residue by ATP-are lower in energy than the bonds present before hydrolysis (this includes all of the bonds involved in the reaction, not just the phosphate bonds themselves). This effect is due to a number of factors including increased resonance stabilization and solvation of the products relative to the reactants." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-energy_phosphate

frostbite · Answer

@ataly yes partly but also some of what arronq wrote.