ATP Polyme's Three Components

a) The ATP molecule is composed of three components. At the centre is a sugar molecule, ribose (the same sugar that forms the basis of RNA). Attached to one side of this is a base (a group consisting of linked rings of carbon and nitrogen atoms); in this case the base is adenine. The other side of the sugar is attached to a string of three bonded phosphate groups. These phosphates are the key to the activity of ATP. Especially, the bond between the last phosphate and second to last phosphate is very unstable and when broken releases a very large amount of energy, which is essential to all life processes.
b) First, chemiosmosis occurs across the inner membrane of the mitochondria which is called the cristae. Basically, H+ ions are pumped (via
To go against a concentration gradient, proteins that provide this function require energy, and that energy is in the form of ATP. ATP is released during respiration, and without it, the human body would not survive. The best example of active transport is the sodium potassium pump. Sodium ions are pumped out of the cell against a concentration gradient, whilst potassium ions are pumped in. 2 potassium, enter a cell for every 3 sodium ions pumped out. This means that there is a negative net charge of the cell , as more sodium (positive charge) is accumulated on the ouside, compared to potassium (positive charge) on the inside. For nerve cells this is essential for action potentials to carry charge along an
How does this happen? Recall that cell respiration “burns” food to release its energy, and in doing so, produces ATP, which carries some of the energy as well as heat, which carries the rest. ATP is then used to fuel countless life processes. The consequence is that even though a lot of energy may be taken in at any level, the energy that ends up being stored there – which is the food available to the next level — is far less. Scientists have calculated that an average of 90% of the energy entering each step of the food chain is “lost” this way (although the total amount in the system remains unchanged). The consumers at the top of a food pyramid, as a group, thus have much less percentage of energy available to support them than those closer to the bottom which have a greater percentage of energy available. That’s why their numbers are relatively few in most communities. Eventually, the amount of useful energy left can’t support another level. That’s why energy flow is depicted in the shape of a pyramid. The energy that enters a community is ultimately lost to the living world as