Question

Which of the following is called the energy currency of the cell?
A. ATP
B. ${ NADPH }_{ 2 }$
C. ${ C }_{ 6 }{ H }_{ 12 }{ O }_{ 6 }$
D. ${ C }_{ 2 }{ H }_{ 5 }{ OH }$

Answer 1

Hint: It is a high energy molecule that stores energy.

Complete answer:
All living organisms require energy for the proper functioning of the cells, tissues, and other organ systems.
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the energy currency of the cell. It is the site where the whole photosynthetic energy is transformed into chemical energy and is used by the plant.

Additional information
- The free energy is not released during cellular respiration and some of it is stored in the form of ATP as chemical energy.
- The energy is used to carry out biochemical reactions in the cell.
- It is the organic compound composed of the phosphate groups, adenine, and the sugar ribose.
- These ATP molecules are synthesized by mitochondria, therefore called as powerhouse of the cell.
- ATP molecule has three phosphate bonds which store large amounts of energy. When these bonds are broken down, the energy is released.
- The ATP molecule was discovered in1929 by German chemist Karl Lohmann.
- In the year 1948, Scottish biochemist Alexander Todd was the first person to synthesize the ATP molecule.
- It provides energy for the active transport mechanism to carry molecules across a concentration gradient.

So, the correct answer is ‘ATP’.

Note: ATP is a nucleotide that consists of three main structures: the nitrogenous base, adenine; the sugar ribose, and a chain of three phosphate groups bound to ribose. The phosphate tail of ATP is the actual power source in which the cell taps. Most of the ATP in cells are produced by the enzymes ATP synthase, which converts ADP and phosphate to ATP.