Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), energy-carrying molecule found in the cells of all living things. ATP captures chemical energy obtained from the breakdown of food molecules and releases it to fuel other cellular processes.In a process called cellular respiration, chemical energy in food is converted into chemical energy that the cell can use, and stores it in molecules of ATP. When the cell needs energy to do work, ATP loses its 3rd phosphate group, releasing energy stored in the bond that the cell can use to do work.
