Phosphate adn its role in the human body

[Problem+Solve=Reason]

Why is phosphate so key in the human body?

----- Life is a problem... SOLVE IT!

 

[DB]

It's a good question. Everytime I think of questions like yours I think of this. Phosphate is a good example. Phosphate is a key ingrediant to DNA and it's double helix molecular shape. It is a part of any human, and is vital to our survival and evolution. But life didn't come with a set of rules to follow to keep healthy. Water didn't come after life was created because we were thirsty, life was created in water and sunlight, therefore we need water and sunlight to survive. Life evolved to a point where us humans have more than instinct to understand what we are made of and what we need to stay healthy and how much of it.

Chemically, we need phosphote to help boost and grow essential nutrients and elements vital to our body. It also has such an effect of plants and almost any living organism and is vital to life.

 

[selfAdjoint]

Adenosine tri-phosphate (ADP) is the cellular energy carrier; when the cell needs energy it strips off the third phosphate group and exploits the resulting released binding energy.

 

[matthyaouw]

Adenosine tri-phosphate (ADP) is the cellular energy carrier; when the cell needs energy it strips off the third phosphate group and exploits the resulting released binding energy.

A minor correction to make: Adenosine tri-phosphate is ATP, and when stripped of its third phosphate group, it becomes adenosine di-phosphate (ADP)

Phosphates also play a part in other parts of respiration, namely in the form of NAD/NADP in respiration, and NADH/NADPH in photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis is explained here: http://photoscience.la.asu.edu/photosyn/education/photointro.html
And respiration here: http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/C/CellularRespiration.html

 

[selfAdjoint]

Dumb me! ATP of course. I knew it, but didn't type it.

 

[matthyaouw]

I assumed as much. I was sure they didn't make you a super mentor for nothing :-)

 

[loseyourname]

Phosphate is important because the negative pole strongly attracts free protons as well as cations and weak dipole molecules. The bond is energetic but still easily broken, making phosphate an ideal carrier of energy.