Chemical
Energy
Organisms get
energy by
consuming food.
From the food that
is consumed,
organisms obtain
macromolecules
that are broken
down into a
chemical energy
called ATP
This is how the process works:
Food is digested and broken down into smaller
molecules that can be turned into ATP. A fat
molecule can produce about 146 molecules of ATP.
Both carbohydrates and proteins produce about 36
molecules of ATP.
Plants produce their own ATP. They do this in a
process called cellular respiration.
What is ATP?
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is
the chemical energy currency used
by all organisms.
When is the energy from ATP
released?
Energy is released
from ATP when the
bond between the
second and third
phosphate group is
broken. At this time
ATP loses a
phosphate group
and becomes
Adenosine
diphosphate (ADP).
More about ADP
ADP is a low energy molecule
that is a building block of ATP. It
consists of adenine, ribose, and
two phosphate groups.