Polyphosphate - The "high Energy" Phosphate Bond

The "high Energy" Phosphate Bond

The energy released in ATP hydrolysis,

ATP4- + H2O → ADP3- + Pi-

at ΔG -36.8 kJ mol−1 is large by biological standards. Pi stands for inorganic phosphate, which is protonated at biological pH. However, it is not large by inorganic standards. The term "high energy" refers to the fact that it is high relative to the amount of energy released in the organic chemical reactions that can occur in living systems.

Read more about this topic:  Polyphosphate

Famous quotes containing the words high, energy and/or bond:

    Like an unseasonable stormy day,
    Which makes the silver rivers drown their shores,
    As if the world were all dissolved to tears,
    So high above his limits swells the rage
    Of Bolingbroke.
    William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

    The very presence of guilt, let alone its tenacity, implies imbalance: Something, we suspect, is getting more of our energy than warrants, at the expense of something else, we suspect, that deserves more of our energy than we’re giving.
    Melinda M. Marshall (20th century)

    I made no vows, but vows
    Were then made for me; bond unknown to me
    Was given, that I should be, else sinning greatly,
    A dedicated Spirit.
    William Wordsworth (1770–1850)