ATP is an adenosine triphosphate, the energy-carrying molecule found in the cells of all living things. ATP works as a shuttle, capturing energy from the breakdown of food and transferring it to the parts of the cell that require energy to run their processes.
ATP has stored chemical energy in the pyrophosphate bond, which lies between the last two phosphate groups of ATP. When the cells need energy to do any work, ATP cleaves the third phosphate group, releasing a large amount of energy stored in the bond between the third and second phosphate group. Energy is required for all the cell’s activities. This includes visible activities, such as muscle movement when running or talking, as well as those that cannot be seen by the human eye, such as the nerve impulses involved in thinking or feeling. ATP provides energy for all these processes.
The important polymer where adenosine monophosphate is found is RNA. Adenosine monophosphate (AMP) is one of the components of RNA.
