Atp Synthesis Lab Report

Every cell, whether it belongs to a plant, bacteria or a human, requires energy from varying food sources to survive. However, when cells break down food into its sugar components, i.e glucose, they cannot use the components directly because glucose holds a lot of energy it would be inefficient to use for reactions that don’t need a lot of energy. Imagine you want to buy pencils for $5 from a store that won’t give change, it is more economical to use a $5 or $10 bill than a $100, that way there is less waste. Well, the same concepts apply to energy use in cells, instead of using a big energy molecule like glucose as is and waste energy, cells will convert it smaller units for prolonged use. These smaller molecules are called ATP (Adenosine
This final conversion to ATP occurs because of a builder molecule called ATP synthase, in a special structure within the cell known as the mitochondria, which binds precursors of ATP together: a sugar molecule ADP (adenosine diphosphate) and Pi (inorganic phosphate). ATP synthase is embedded in the membrane of mitochondria, acting as a channel between its two parts the outermost area or inter-membrane, and the inner more central area or matrix. Generating ATP happens only within the ATP synthase when a charged force is created to stimulate the ATP synthase’s binding region. Before describing this mechanism, it important to be familiar the structure of ATP synthase itself in relation to the area around it. Think of ATP synthase as two different chambers connected by an axle. The first chamber is closets to the inter-membrane and has a motor that can rotate the axle provided it has charged
As positively charged particles (protons) move from the inter-membrane of the mitochondria into the first chamber and are pumped into the matrix, a charge that can power the axle rotation is generated. This charge occurs because the protons are moving back and forth from an area of high concentration, i.e very crowded, to an area of low concentration, i.e not crowded. With this continuous proton movement, the axle has enough power to rotate, as its rotating a reaction is occurring in the three rooms of the second chamber. Rotation of the axle causes these rooms to compress so much that the ADP and Pi they were holding, are forced together to create a single ATP molecule, which ATP synthase spits out into the matrix, ready for use by the cell. Once rotation stops the rooms of the second chamber will not compress, thusly no ATP is made. Important to note is that each of the rooms in the second chamber is linked to the axle when it isn’t rotating special linkages called