ATP or adenosine triphosphate is the energy currency of a cell and is made when energy is needed. ATP is produced through the process of cellular respiration (aerobic or anaerobic). However, it cannot be stored in the cell for a long time. There are a number of reasons for this. ATP is a small molecule and is highly reactive at room temperature. It also has a very low energy density as compared to carbohydrates and fats. This means that to store any appreciable amount of energy, cells would have to store very large quantity of ATP molecules. This would add to the weight of the cell and thus negate any advantage of energy storage.
Thus, the cells do not store ATP molecules, they make it as needed. For reference, cells stores energy in the form of fats, oils and starches, which are big molecules.
Hope this helps.
No comments:
Post a Comment