3 ATP Worksheet - Educational blogs from our community

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ATP Worksheet

Question: What is ATP and how is it used by living cells?
ATP or adenosine triphosphate, is the main energy-carrying or energy-transferring molecule of all

living things. In cellular respiration, the energy in the food you eat is released and used to power the cell
and its functions. ATP is the molecule that accepts the energy from the food when it s broken down and
transfers it to where it is needed in the cell. In photosynthesis, light energy is first captured by chlorophyll
and transferred to ATP that then goes to power the process of making glucose. ATP is the energy
“currency” of the cell. When a cell needs work to be doe it must spend its ATP.

ATP is made up of three subunits: an adenine molecule, a ribose sugar and 3 phosphate groups.
“Adenosine” is the term used for the molecule formed when adenine is bonded to ribose. When only one
phosphate group is attached to the adenosine molecule, it is called AMP (adenosine monophosphate).
When two phosphate groups are attached it is called ADP (adenosine diphosphate).

The useable energy in ATO is stored in the last “high-energy” bond holding on the third phosphate
group. When a cell needs energy to perform a function, it breaks the last phosphate off of an ATP molecule
and the energy is released. ADP does not have enough energy to perform cellular work so it must be turned
back into ATP by adding a phosphate group back on. The energy needed to “reenergize” ATP by adding a
phosphate comes from the chemical breakdown of the food we eat (cellular respiration) or from light energy
(photosynthesis).

It is estimated that humans use almost their body weight in ATP each day to keep their cells
functioning. In fact, a cell can use about 2 trillion molecules of ATP per second!! Where does all of the
ATP come from? You guessed it; it is recycled over and over again from ADP. Just like rechargeable
batteries.

Part A Chemical Structure of ATP

ATP is a molecule that is produced & consumed in the cell. There are 3
subunits that comprise ATP; they are ribose, adenine and phosphoric acid
(phosphate)
Look at the following diagrams to answer these questions

1. What is the molecular formula of ribose?

C___ H___O___

2. What is the ratio of H to O atoms? __________

3. To what organic groups does ribose belong? ____________________ Adenine
4. What is the overall shape of ribose? ____________________

5. What is the molecular formula of adenine?

C___H___N___

6. What atom is present in adenine that was not present in ribose? ______
7. What atom is present in ribose that is not present in adenine? ______
8. What is the molecular formula for phosphoric acid?

H___P___O___

Part B Constructing the ATP Molecule

The ATP molecule is composed of 1 ribose molecule, 1 adenine molecule & 3 phosphoric acid molecules.
Step 1
Cut out the Adenine and Ribose Piece and join them together. In order to get them to fit like a jigsaw
puzzle, you must cut out the O-H and H from the respective pieces (cut on the dotted line). Adenosine is a
combination of 2 terms, adenine and ribose.
Step 2
Attach the 1 phosphoric acid (phosphate) to the adenosine, you must cut out the O-H and H from the
respective pieces (cut on the dotted line). Attach the last 2 phosphoric acids to each other and the ATP
molecule. Tape your ATP molecule onto the back of this packet, you should also have 4 H2O taped down.
Step 3
Construct an ADP molecule. You should also have 3 H2O and 1 phosphoric Tape this to the back of this
worksheet.
Step 4
Use arrows to show their relation ship between ATP and ADP.

Part C Converting ATP to ADP

The equation is the following
ATP ⇒ ADP + Phosphate + Energy

1. What is the reactant in the equation? _____________________
2. What are the products? ____________________
3. What product has been released that will be used by the cell? ________________________
4. What will the cell possible do with this newly released product? ____________________
5. Was this reaction due to dehydration reaction or hydrolysis? ____________________

Part D Converting ADP to ATP
ATP can be formed within the mitochondrion of a cell if the reactants are available.

ADP + Phosphate group + Energy ⇒ ATP
1. What are the reactants? ______________________________________
2. What is the product? ____________
3. Why does a cell want to convert ADP to ATP?

4. What is the advantage to having a vast supply of ATP in the cell?

5. From where does the energy come to convert ADP to ATP?

6. What atoms had to be removed to make the ATP molecule? ____________________
7. What molecule did you make with these atoms? ____________________
8. Was this reaction due to dehydration reaction or hydrolysis? ____________________
9. What type of bonds are responsible for holding adenine, ribose & phosphoric acids together?