This is the reaction by which chemical energy that has been stored and transported in the high-energy phosphoanhydridic bonds in ATP is released, for example in the muscles, to produce work. The product is Adenosine diphosphate and an inorganic phosphate, ortophosphate (Pi). ADP can be further hydrolysed to give energy, Adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and another orthophosphate (Pi).

Hydrolysis of the phosphate groups in ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) gives an extra amount of energy, because it leads to an increased resonance (greater stability), and to separation of negative charges.

Hydrolysis of one phosphoanhydridic bond is an exothermic reaction, producing -30.5 kJ/mol energy, which can be used in the cell for reactions requiring energy.

Source: A biochemistry test at medical university Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden 2005.

See also

• Dephosphorylation