How many high energy bonds are present in one molecule of ATP?

A molecule of ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, contains three phosphate groups, which are linked by high-energy bonds. The energy that ATP stores and can release for cellular processes is primarily associated with the bonds between these phosphate groups.

When ATP is hydrolyzed to ADP (adenosine diphosphate) and an inorganic phosphate (Pi), one of these high-energy phosphate bonds is broken, releasing energy for cellular activities. The bond that is broken during this hydrolysis is specifically the bond between the second and third phosphate groups, which is often referred to as the terminal phosphate bond.

The correct answer indicates that there are two high-energy bonds in ATP. This is the appropriate count because two of the three phosphate bonds are high-energy, whereas one bond (the bond connecting the first phosphate group to the ribose) is considered to be of lower energy. Thus, when considering the definition of high-energy bonds in ATP, it's concluded that ATP possesses two high-energy bonds available for energy exchange in metabolic processes.