Claret College of Isabela

Senior High School

P.O. Box 8692 Roxas Avenue, Isabela City, Basilan Province, 7300 Philippines
Tel. No. (062) 200 - 7697 / 200 – 7009 Telefax: (062) 200 - 3865

NAME: ____________________________________________ DATE: _______________________

COURSE AND YEAR: _______________________________ OUTPUT NO: ________________

ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATE
(LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET 2 - GENERAL BIOLOGY 1)

MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCIES:

 Explain coupled reaction processes and describe the role of ATP in energy coupling transfer.

LESSON OBJECTIVE:
 Describe how energy is stored in a molecule of ATP.
 Value the importance of having ATP to an individual by understanding how it works to provide the power
necessary in our bodies.
 Explain coupled reaction processes and describe the role of ATP in energy coupling transfer.

VALUES INTEGRATION:
 Stewardship

All organisms continue to live because of energy. But how do organisms - from bacteria and fungi to plants
and animals - use energy? Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) is said to be the energy currency of life. Imagine the
organism as a machine. ATP is the organism's "battery." It controls the amount and timing of energy to be used
and released within the cells. ATP is vital for many chemical reactions to occur, some of which are done to
replace lost molecules. You will learn more about what ATP can do, how important it is, and how it works to
provide the power necessary in our bodies.

The Structure of ATP

In 1929, Karl Lohmann (1898-1978), a German biochemist, was given credit for discovering ATP from
extracts of muscles and liver. Prior to his study, a few scientists were working on a chemical known as inosinic
acid, where ATP was derived from. Inosinic acid was first discovered by Justus von Liebig when he isolated the
compound by boiling certain amino acids together, such as creatine and creatinine. Lohmann's analysis on the
ATP structure was in close competition with other scientists but he succeeded through acid hydrolysis. The
colorless substance yielded two moles of phosphoric acid, one mole of adenine, and one mole of ribose- 5-
phosphate. This structure was not confirmed until 20 years later.

 Chemical Structure of ATP

After many years of validating its correct structure, ATP is now scientifically accepted to be composed
of a sugar molecule, a base group, and a phosphate group. In the middle is a sugar molecule, ribose. On one side
of it is the nucleic acid, adenine. On the other side is a string of phosphate groups. These phosphates are the key
to the activity of ATP.

ATP Mechanism
All cells have a small storage of highly charged ATP molecules, specifically located in the cytoplasm or
the cell. The adenosine and three inorganic phosphate groups are all bonded together in sequence. Each of the
phosphate bonds has great energy potential that can be used in any cellular activity. Particularly, the bond
between the second and third phosphate groups has the highest and most accessible energy.

 Location of potential energy in an ATP molecule

1|General Biology
 Claret College of Isabela
Senior High School
P.O. Box 8692 Roxas Avenue, Isabela City, Basilan Province, 7300 Philippines
Tel. No. (062) 200 - 7697 / 200 – 7009 Telefax: (062) 200 - 3865

Even when an organism is resting, ATP is still at work because certain cellular activities continue to
work and require energy input. Thus, ATP should be dole to continuously meet all the energy demands of the
organism.
The secret behind the power of ATP lies in the breaking of the chemical bond between the second and
the third phosphate groups. When this happens, a large amount of energy is released.

 Exergonic reactions release energy,

whereas endergonic reactions take
in energy.

Endergonic and Exergonic Reactions

All types of chemical reaction require the involvement of energy. In an endergonic reaction, energy is a
basic requirement for a chemical reaction to commence. In fact, a chemical reaction requires more energy than
what you can get. Occasionally, the reaction continues to absorb energy throughout the process. Thus, the
products are at a higher energy level than the reactants. Endergonic reactions are nonspontaneous and usually
occur in organisms, because they need to synthesize complex molecules such as fats, amino acids, and sugars.
Examples
of endergonic reactions include photosynthesis and melting of ice to liquid water, wherein large amounts of
energy are needed for these processes to proceed. Heat and light energy, for example, are required for glucose
to be produced in photosynthesis, whereas heat is needed for the ice to melt. Within the body, endergonic
reactions occur in protein synthesis, muscle contraction, and nerve conduction.
Exergonic reactions, on the other hand, are spontaneous or favorable chemical reactions wherein the
products are at a lower energy level than the reactants. In this case, the reactions release more energy than what
was required initially.
 When ATP is hydrolyzed, it is
broken down into ADP and
inorganic phosphate. This
releases a large amount of
energy.

You have learned that ATP is the energy currency of organisms. It is used as an immediate source of
energy for all metabolic processes. Energy is transferred when ATP breaks down into adenosine diphosphate
(ADP) and an inorganic phosphate. A significant amount of energy is required to break the phosphate bonds in
ATP. However, the next processes will release energy as well. The breakage of ATP is a hydrolysis reaction (a
process of breaking the chemical bonds by using water). Following hydrolysis, the phosphate group that is
released will receive the -OH group upon reaction with water, forming the inorganic phosphate. The other
hydrogen ion that is left from the water molecule takes the place of the released phosphate, hence the formation
of ADP. In the process, two new bonds are formed so that a certain amount of energy is released.
Under standard cellular conditions, the amount of energy produced from the hydrolysis of ATP is
around 7.3 kcal per mole and possibly up to l0 kcal per mole. This is almost equivalent to the energy you get
from a single peanut.

Coupled Reaction
ATP is a highly unstable molecule. It spontaneously dissociates into ADP and inorganic phosphate even
when there is no activity requiring energy. Thus, this energy is produced as free energy and is lost as heat.
However, because cells are efficient, they harness this free energy within the bonds through a strategy called
energy coupling.

 In this example of a coupled reaction,

the phosphorylation of glucose (an

2|General Biology
 Claret College of Isabela
Senior High School
P.O. Box 8692 Roxas Avenue, Isabela City, Basilan Province, 7300 Philippines
Tel. No. (062) 200 - 7697 / 200 – 7009 Telefax: (062) 200 - 3865

endergonic reaction) requires energy

from the hydrolysis of ATP.
Simply put, a coupled biochemical reaction happens when the free energy from an exergonic reaction is
used to initiate an endergonic reaction by coupling or "joining” the two reactions, where they become
complementary. The hydrolysis of ATP is actually involved in coupled reactions with numerous biochemical
processes, such as the phosphorylation of glucose, which is an initial step to its conversion to fructose.
Phosphorylation is the process of adding a phosphate group to a certain biomolecule, such as glucose. The
hydrolysis of ATP is an exergonic reaction because it releases energy. This energy will then be used for an
endergonic reaction, such as the phosphorylation of glucose. Phosphorylation creates a high-energy but unstable
intermediate. As the process continues, the phosphate group slightly changes in shape to fit the enzymes, which
then transform the phosphorylated glucose molecule into a fructose molecule. The conversion of
these sugars is important because glycolysis needs the fructose molecule to produce energy.
When energy is released through hydrolysis, ATP becomes the energy-deficient ADP having only two
phosphate groups left in sequence instead or three. One way to transform ADP back to ATP is through the food
that you consume.
The use of ATP for many biological and chemical processes in the body happens with the help of an
enzyme called ATPase. You learned in the previous module that enzymes help hasten reactions in the body. To
take advantage of high-energy bonds in ATP, almost all cells have ATPases that help split the bonds of
phosphate groups to release the energy.
Coupled reactions usually happen in anabolic and catabolic processes involving the same molecules.
Anabolic reactions are endergonic reactions because energy is required for them to proceed. Catabolic reactions,
on the other hand, are exergonic reactions because free energy is released from the breakdown of molecules.
As said previously, cells form an efficient energy cycle by coupling or combining anabolic reactions
with catabolic reactions, because anabolic reactions capture the energy released from the catabolic reactions.
The example shown in the figure, demonstrates the phosphorylation of glucose (anabolism), where energy was
taken from the breakdown of ATP (catabolism).
Both anabolism and catabolism must be regulated to prevent them from occurring simultaneously. In
both processes, there is a unique set of hormones responsible for switching them on and off. Anabolic hormones
include the growth hormone, testosterone, and estrogen. Catabolic hormones include adrenaline, cortisol, and
glucagon. How is the coupling reaction maintained?

The Circadian Rhythm

Balance in anabolism and catabolism is maintained by the circadian rhythm, which maintains regular or
patterned processes in the body within a 24-hour cycle. The circadian rhythm is disrupted when an organism
changes certain habits or lifestyles, such as sleeping at 2 A.M. or eating lunch at 3 P.M. In this case, glucose
metabolism, for example, fluctuates to catch up to the person's need for energy.
In essence, anabolism works to synthesize complex molecules, which is initiated by the energy released
through catabolism. The biomolecules that you have learned in your previous grade level (carbohydrates,
proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids) usually undergo anabolic processes from simple molecules. These simple
molecules may also come as products of catabolic reactions. The production of more and more complex
molecules indicates higher energy content, as compared with their simple precursors.

*****ATP couples anabolic and catabolic processes in the body. These processes are regulated by certain
hormones, whose balance is maintained by the circadian rhythm. Any changes in the body's recognition of day
and night (such as regular nocturnal activities) may disrupt the regularity of the ATP cycle.

3|General Biology
 Claret College of Isabela
Senior High School
P.O. Box 8692 Roxas Avenue, Isabela City, Basilan Province, 7300 Philippines
Tel. No. (062) 200 - 7697 / 200 – 7009 Telefax: (062) 200 - 3865

NAME: ____________________________________________ DATE: _______________________

COURSE AND YEAR: _______________________________ OUTPUT NO: ________________

ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATE
(LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET 2 - GENERAL BIOLOGY 1)

Activity #1
Instructions: In your own understanding base on this module, explain coupled reaction processes and describe
the role of ATP in energy coupling transfer with atleast 200 words paragraph and you can include
illustrations in your explanation. Write your answer on the space provided below.

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Reflection: You have just learned that ATP is said to be the energy currency of life may disrupt the regularity
of its cycle if there are any changes in the body’s recognition day and night (such as sleeping at 2am wherein
you usually sleep at 10pm). How can you relate the disruption of the ATP cycle when changes in the body’s
recognition occur, to what we are facing right now in the new normal?
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4|General Biology
 Claret College of Isabela
Senior High School
P.O. Box 8692 Roxas Avenue, Isabela City, Basilan Province, 7300 Philippines
Tel. No. (062) 200 - 7697 / 200 – 7009 Telefax: (062) 200 - 3865

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5|General Biology