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Glite Dictionary
adenosine diphosphate

adenosine diphosphate

6.3
A small molecule with two phosphate groups that cells use to store and release energy
  • noun
  • /ˌædəˈnoʊsiːn daɪˈfɔsfeɪt/
  • Specialized
: adenosina difosfato
  • In muscles, adenosine diphosphate ADP accumulates as ATP is used up, signaling the need for more energy production.

It gets cleaved to ADP, adenosine diphosphate plus an inorganic phosphate, right?

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Examples

  • The reaction cycle is completed with the release of the hydrolysis product, adenosine diphosphate (ADP).

    Academic text (2006)

  • During cellular respiration, adenosine diphosphate ADP plays a crucial role in the transfer of energy between molecules.

  • We take adenosine diphosphate, ADP and we add a phosphorus to it to make it ATP, and then we run all of our

    Julian Dorey

  • It gets cleaved to ADP, adenosine diphosphate plus an inorganic phosphate, right?

    The Diary Of A CEO

  • Adenosine diphosphate ADP is produced when adenosine triphosphate (ATP) loses a phosphate group during its conversion.

Synonyms

ADP
vsadenosine diphosphate
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A small molecule with two phosphate groups that cells use to store and release energy

is formed as an intermediate when ATP is converted to release and store energy

Surface Forms

adenosine diphosphate singular
adenosine diphosphates plural

Morphology

adenosine + diphosphate

This is a strictly compositional chemical name: 'adenosine' plus 'diphosphate' literally denotes an adenosine molecule with two phosphate groups. The meaning follows standard scientific naming conventions (and similar patterns across languages), so a learner who knows the constituent terms can directly infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Adenosine diphosphate names what it is: adenosine plus two phosphate groups, and the word diphosphate means 'two phosphates'. Think of ATP as a charged cell 'battery' with three phosphates; when it loses one phosphate it becomes adenosine diphosphate, and that change gives the cell the 'energy' it needs.