Diphosphate

/daɪˈfɒsfeɪt/ noun

Definition

A chemical compound containing two phosphate groups attached to a central molecule, found in important biological molecules like ATP and DNA.

Etymology

From di- (two) + phosphate (salt of phosphoric acid, from Greek 'phosphoros' meaning light-bringer, as phosphorus glows). Named as biochemists studied energy-rich molecules in cells.

Kelly Says

Diphosphates are the power cables of your cells—ATP with its diphosphate bonds stores energy like a compressed spring, and when that bond breaks, the energy powers everything from muscle contractions to thinking.

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