• Living organisms are composed of cells, and within

each cell, many activities and processes are

constantly being carried out to maintain life. So, they
need continuous supply of energy.

• Supply of energy: From absorption of light energy or

from chemical potential energy.

• Photosynthesis process transfer light energy into

chemical potential energy (energy stored in the
chemical bonds of a substance).
• Autotrophs: Organisms which can use an inorganic
carbon source in form of carbondioxide.
• Heterotrophs: Organisms needing a ready made supply
of carbon.
• Photosynthesis is carried out by the first organism in a
food chain, such as plants and some other small
organisms.
• Respiration in all living cells releases energy from the
breakdown of organic molecules.
• Respiration involves the transfer of chemical potential
energy from nutrient molecules (such as carbohydrates,
fats and proteins) into a usable energy form (through
the synthesis of ATP) that can be used for work within
an organism.
 Need of Energy
• Energy is necessary to perform several work.
• Work in living beings includes:
 Synthesis of complex substances from simpler ones (anabolic
reactions).
The active transport of substances against a diffusion gradient .
 Mechanical work such as muscle contraction and
other cellular movements. For eg: movement of cilia
and flagella.

 Ina few organisms, bioluminescence (emission of

light by living organisms) and electrical discharge.

Purple Jellyfish exhibiting bioluminescence

 Mammals and birds use thermal energy(Ectothermal
heat energy) to maintain constant body temperature.

 Theyalso use endothermal heat energy to maintain

them above the temperature of their surrounding when
necessary.
• Energy is obtained from complete oxidation of
glucose (C6H12O6).

• Although oxidation of glucose to carbondioxide and

water has very high energy yield but the reaction does
not happen easily.

• Glucose is stable because of activation energy that

has to be added before any reaction takes place
(enzymatic activities).

• In living organism the activation energy is overcome

by lowering it using enzymes and also by raising the
energy level of the glucose by phosphorylation.
 Structure of ATP

• Combination of Adenine+ Pentose sugar+ 3 Phosphate groups

• When phosphate group is removed from ATP, ADP(Adenosine diphosphate is
formed) with release of 30.5KJmol of energy.
• Same amount of energy is released when ADP
hydrolyse into AMP but on conversion of AMP into
Adenosine only 14.2kJmol of energy is released.

Adenosine: Adenine (Nitrogenous sugar)+Pentose sugar

only.
• Even though a body have 50g-200g of ATP at a moment, it is
estimated that human being uses about 40Kg-50Kg of ATP in
24 hours.

• So ATP is constantly made and may not have large storage.

• ATP is universal intermediary molecule between energy

yielding and energy-requiring reactions used in a cell.

• It is readily hydrolysed to release energy as well as it is water

soluble molecule so easily transported around the cell.

• Most of energy are used for work done while extra energy are
released as thermal energy.
• ATP is used as immediate energy donor to the cell in
various energy requiring reactions. So, is energy
currency.

• But energy storage molecules are

glucose/sucrose(Short –term) and
Starch/Glycogen(Long-term) which when necessary
break down to release energy.
 Water soluble.
 Easily transported around the cell.
 Readily Hydrolysed (can loose P group easily) .
 Relatively stable molecule in the range of PH that
normally occurs in cells(doesnot break unless catalyst
such as enzyme ATPase is present).
 Can release energy in small packet i.e. 30.5KJmol on
hydrolyzing from ATP to ADP that is enough to fuel
energy-requiring process, but not so much to be
wasted.
• ATP synthesis is available in two ways:

• In respiration, energy released during glycolysis and Krebs

cycle is used to make some ATP- Substrate linked
Phosphorylation (using energy provided directly by another
chemical reaction)

• Secondly, ATP are synthesized by Chemiosmosis-

(Oxidative phosphorylation and electron transport chain)
produced when hydrogen ions move down their
concentration gradient across the inner membranes of
mitochondria and chloroplast.
• Proton (Hydrogen ions) are impermeable to
phospholipid membrane of mitochondria and
chloroplast.

• Protons are allowed to flow down their concentration

gradient through protein found in phospholipid
bilayer.

• Same protein involves in synthesis of enzyme ATP

synthase.

• Transfer of three protons allows the production of one

ATP molecule as ADP along with inorganic phosphate
is available inside organelle.
• Process was first discovered by Peter Mitchell in 1961
and called as chemiosmosis. Chemiosmosis is the
movement of ions across a semipermeable membrane
bound structure, down their electrochemical gradient.
• ATP synthase has three binding sites and a part of
molecule (γ-gamma) that rotates as hydrogen ion
(H+)pass.
• This produces structural changes in the binding sites
and allow to pass through three phases:
i. Binding ADP and pi
ii. Forming tightly bound ATP
iii. Releasing ATP
• Active transport is the movement of molecules or ions
across a partially permeable membrane against a
concentration gradient.

• Energy is necessary for particles to move by diffusion

down the gradient.

• All cells shows differences in concentration of sodium

and potassium ions inside the cell with respect to
surrounding solution.

• Most cells have sodium pumps in the cell surface

membrane that pumps sodium ions out and potassium
ions from the surrounding solution inside the cell.
• Sodium-Potassium pump is a protein that is in cell
surface membrane.

• It has binding sites for sodium ions (Na+) and ATP

inside and potassium ions (K+) outside.

• Protein act as ATPase and catalyzes the hydrolysis of

ATP to ADP and inorganic phosphate. It release energy
to drive the force.

• Shape of protein makes ions to move in and out of the

cell.
• For each ATP formation two potassium ions move into
the cell and three sodium ions move out of the cell.

• Cell membranes are much less permeable to sodium

ions than potassium ions. Three sodium ions moving
out and two potassium ions coming into the cell
increases potential difference across the membrane.

• The importance of Active transport is not to

underestimate ion movement in cell as 50% of the ATP
in resting mammals are used in maintaining ionic
content of cell.
Summarized topic till now:
 Energy production in Autotrophs & Heterotrophs

 Need of energy

 ATP as energy currency

 Synthesis of ATP

 Role of ATP in active transport

Thank you!!!