ATP
(adenosine triphosphate) is the universal energy currency of a cell for both plants and animals. In the structure main secret lies : ATP contains three
negatively charged phosphate groups. When the bond between the outermost two
phosphate groups is broken, ATP becomes ADP (adenosine diphosphate). This
reaction releases 7.3 kcal/mole of ATP, which is a great deal of energy by cell
standards.All cells need the ATP in order to survive. For example, in humans, ATP is used for
a large range of biological actions, with each cell in the body estimated to
use between one to two billion ATPs per minute, from muscle contractions to
providing the energy needed to move the “tail” of a sperm cell in order to
reach the female’s egg cell. In plants, ATP is not only used in photosynthesis,
but in the plant’s root hair cells, which need ATP to absorb the essential
mineral ions from the soil in order to grow.
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Basic Biology