Mitochondrion Essay, Research Paper
Mitochondrion
Mitochondrion are the power plant of a cell. The mitochondria are cells
based within a cell that turn nutrients from chemical form into a more simple
and usable substance for a cell to use as energy.
These sausage-shaped organelles are not a true organelle, but more of a
parasite that invaded primordial cells and evolved along with them. A
mitochondrian?s main purpose is to burn energy through a slow method of
combustion, which will consume as much air to burn as fire will, just to break
down nutrients into simpler substances. These simpler molecules then bond with
the atoms that will need the energy to function. Then, enzymes in the
mitochondrion break up the atoms and then recapture them again. This time, the
energy atoms will be bonded in a different molecule to form ATP, or adenosine
triphosphate. ATP has an adenosine core and three phosphates attached to it,
hence its name.
These phosphates will store the new energy. ATP can travel throughout
the cell freely and allows the stored energy to then be distributed evenly in
the cell. Other organelles will find the ATP and break off the phosphates full
of ready-to-use energy.Once the adenosine has been stripped of phosphates it
will travel back to the mitochondrion to be reloaded with new phosphates.