Adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) was discovered in 1929 by the German chemist Karl Lohmann. Its chemical structure consists of an adenosine nucleotide structure to which three phosphoryl groups are sequentially attached via cleavable bonds. It is the most common energy "currency" of living cells, functioning as an intermediate which drives "energy requiring" (endergonic) reactions through the cleavage of its phosphate groups. The processes that maintain life require an input of energy in order to proceed and are driven by the exergonic (energy yielding) reactions of nutrient oxidation. This coupling is most often mediated through the syntheses of high-energy intermediates, such as ATP, whose consumption provides energy for the endergonic processes. In biosynthesis, for example, ATP is the immediate product of all processes leading to the chemical storage of energy.

The capacity of ATP to act as the biochemical energy "currency" comes from its high potential to...