Adenosine Triphosphate, otherwise known as ATP is a molecule made of an adenine nucleoside base, a five carbon sugar, namely ribose and a triphosphate group. For an organic student, this molecule is definitely not easy on the eyes. Nevertheless, it is arguably one of the most important molecules for the maintenance of life. It provides the cell with the necessary energy to undergo most cellular activities. For example, ATP is responsible for the passage of molecules in and out of the cell. It is also responsible for cellular locomotion and for the construction of the cytoskeleton. It is required for muscular contraction; hence with every heart beat we have ATP to thanks. As a matter of fact, a human being produces roughly160 kilograms of ATP per day! The synthesis of RNA, the molecule in charge of translating the DNA’s “code” for molecular synthesis and ultimately making us the unique beings we are today, couldn’t take place without adenosine triphosphate. The list of ATP’s functions in the cell is very long, and our knowledge is still incomplete.

In this artwork, we wanted to represent the importance of ATP through a metaphorical representation. The reason for this is due to the fact that we as humans have always been using models in order to make sense of the world around us. Not too long ago, the mainstream explanations for natural phenomena had been narrated through a mythological context. This was how people made sense out of fire, lightning, rain, everything that surrounds and touches them. They made supernatural models in order to explain natural behaviour. It is only recently in human history that we started making models that rely strictly on empirical evidence and logical reasoning. This method of approach is more evolved and is as limited as the human perception. Thus, in our drawing we wanted to represent ATP through the older model of human interpretation by incorporating Greek mythology. We saw it very fitting to compare ATP to Atlas. Atlas, the giant, was one of the leaders in the Titans’ war against the Olympians. After losing the war, Zeus punishes Atlas by handing him the responsibility of holding the celestial spheres on his back. Similarly, at one point during cellular evolution, ATP had been appointed responsible as an energy medium within the cell. It became the battery, allowing most of the energy required activities to take place. Therefore, we drew ATP as Atlas, chained to three phosphate groups, that’s holding a eukaryotic cell on its back to display the similar responsibility it had been given.

How do Atkins’s big ideas touch ATP and how are they expressed in the artwork? ATP’s structure allows for it to act like a battery, whenever the cell requires energy to do work, it will, through hydrolysis, cleave ATP from one (or sometimes two) of its phosphate groups making it release energy, -30.5 kJ/mol to be exact. This is about the same energy found in the average peanut, that’s right a peanut! The reason for its exothermic nature is explained through its molecular structure. The phosphate groups are hindered due to the oxygen groups’ negative charge that’s creating repulsion. Thus, when the phosphate group is cleaved, the atoms become less tightly bound and the charge spreads out, since energy is conserved, there has to consequently be a release in energy. Here we see that matter is made of atoms, no need to elaborate. We also see that elements display periodicity. This is due to the the phosphorus atom’s ability to have more than octet due to the fact that it is an atom in the third row. We also see oxygen’s willingness to accept charge due to its electronegativity. Also molecular shape is crucial, this is very important because it is what gives ATP its exothermic nature when a phosphate group is cleaved. Its tetrahedral nature and the way that the oxygens are placed in three dimensions, along with the negative charge, create repulsion giving it this attribute. In the Artwork, this is represented through the chains. First of all, they are drawn in a tetrahedral structure. Second of all, we can see that once the phosphate group is removed through hydrolysis (the glucose hammer breaking the chain) ATP, or Atlas, will have less weight pulling it down so that it will be able to move, thus transforming the previous potential energy into kinetic energy, therefore energy is conserved. Since the chains are broken with glucose through a hydrolysis reaction we can see that this is one of the four types of reactions in chemistry, this consequently includes the idea that chemical bonds form when electrons pair. The general form of a hydrolysis reaction is like this: X^-_(aq) + H_2(ℓ)O O HX_(aq) + OH^-_(aq) thus we can consider hydrolysis to be a Lewis acid-base reaction. ATP is also only stable under certain conditions such as; the need for a pH of 7, a temperature of 37 °C, a catalyst (ATPase) to form ATP from ADP. All of these are required for ATP to function, thus there are barriers to every reaction. In this case, hydrolysis will never be met without ATP stability and a catalyst. During our artwork we were faced with artistic barriers that made us unable to colour Atlas due to the extensive time we had placed on drawing him. Thus out of fear of jeopardizing our efforts we decided not to colour him. This artistic barrier, symbolically inherited the barriers needed for ATP function within the cell.

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