CHAPTER 4
Phosphoric Acid Anhydrides and Other
Energy-Rich Compounds
F. M. HUENNEKENS and H. R. WHITELEY
Departments of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Washington,
Seattle,
Washington
I. Introduction
107
A. Energy Storage and Utilization in Living Systems
.
.
.
.
107
B. Phosphorylated Compounds and Their Role in Energy Storage .
.
109
II. Chemical and Thermodynamic Aspects of "Energy-Rich" Compounds .
Ill
A. Chemical Basis for "Energy-Rich" Phosphate Bonds .
.
.
.
Ill
B. Thermodynamic Concepts and Terminology
115
C. Methods for Determining AF and AH
116
D. The Primary Standard: AF° for the Hydrolysis of ATP . . .
117
E. Summary of Thermodynamic Values for "Energy-Rich" Compounds .
120
III. "Energy-Rich" Compounds in Biological Systems
121
A. Derivatives of Phosphoric Acid
121
1. Nucleoside Polyphosphates: Adenosine Triphosphate and Related
Compounds
121
2. Inorganic Polyphosphates
129
3. Acyl Phosphates
135
4. Enol Phosphate: Phosphoenolpyruvate
143
5. Thiol Phosphate: S-Phosphoryl Coenzyme A
147
6. Amidine Phosphates: Creatine, Arginine, and Other Guanidophosphates
148
B. Derivatives of Carboxylic Acid
156
1. Acyl Thioesters
156
2. Acetyl Imidazole
160
C. Summary: Distribution of "Energy-Rich" Compounds
.
.
.
161
References
164
I. Introduction
A. ENERGY STORAGE AND UTILIZATION IN LIVING SYSTEMS
The terms "life" and "living systems" are difficult to define with any
degree of precision (1, 2); for our purposes, it is sufficient to consider
107