How much ATP is required to equal the energy amount of a Uranium-235 fission reaction? 

Before we answer this question, what is ATP? What is a Uranium-235 fission reaction? ATP is a nucleotide, it stands for Adenosine Triphosphate and is known as the “energy currency of the cell. Our bodies use food as a means of creating ATP and then cells will use the ATP for tasks that require energy. 

An ATP molecule

Found at https://socratic.org/questions/what-are-three-parts-of-an-atp-molecule

Uranium-235 is a very unstable atom. It is an isotope of Uranium that, due to its instability, is used for nuclear reactions and is the main element used for modern nuclear weapons. Furthermore, its instability allows for a Uranium-235 atom to split very easily and release billions of kilojoules of energy. Nuclear fission is the splitting of an atom’s nucleus and it, as stated before, releases incredibly large amounts of energy.

With this being said, since ATP, upon its hydrolysis makes the products more stable than the reactants and thus results in a release of energy (to learn more about ATP read my ATP article https://exploring-science.org/2021/01/02/what-is-atp/), how much of it will we need to equal the same amount of energy as a uranium-235 fission reaction and will it produce the same effects? To answer this question, we must figure out our numbers and methods in order to come to our conclusion. 

-We will measure the amount of ATP and Uranium in moles, which is a unit in which scientists can measure atoms/molecules. 1 mole=6.022 x 10^23 molecules/atoms.

-We will use kilojoules (kj), a unit of energy, to measure the energy

-18 billion kj are released if one mole of Uranium-235 undergoes a fission reaction

-ATP and other large molecules that the body uses are split through a process called hydrolysis, which splits the molecules by adding water. When one mole of ATP is hydrolyzed, it loses a phosphate group and releases 57 kj of energy. Now, in order to make this hydrolysis run smoothly, we need the proper enzymes to catalyze the reaction as well as standard atmospheric temperatures and pressures.

-If there are 18 billion Kj/mol released in a Uranium-235 fission reaction and 57 Kj/mol released when one mole of ATP is hydrolyzed then the math looks like this: 18 billion/57 equals approximately 3.16 x 10^8. This is the number of moles of ATP that need to be hydrolyzed at the exact same time in order to release 18 billion kj of energy

This whole article is just a thought challenge and we have to take into consideration the fact that everything goes perfectly:

*Considering that all of the ATP will hydrolyze perfectly at the same time 

*Standard conditions for effective ATP hydrolysis

*Isolated system where no other factors can affect the results

*The ATP will be perfectly placed in order to get the best results

Now that we know what will happen and since this is all hypothetical, the experiment will run perfectly. What will happen? Will all of that energy released by the ATP have the same effect as a nuclear explosion? What do you think will happen?