Final answer:
The statement that hydrolysis of ATP to AMP provides about twice as much energy as ATP to ADP is false; the hydrolysis of the high-energy bonds in ATP to ADP yields significant energy, while the last phosphate bond to AMP yields less energy.
Step-by-step explanation:
It is false that the hydrolysis of ATP to AMP provides about twice as much energy as the hydrolysis of ATP to ADP. Hydrolysis of ATP to form ADP releases energy because the products (ADP and phosphate) have less energy than the reactants (ATP and water). The energy change for the hydrolysis of one mole of ATP to ADP and an inorganic phosphate (Pi) is about -7.3 kcal/mol (-30.5 kJ/mol) under standard conditions, but this can be almost double, around -14 kcal/mol (-57 kJ/mol), under cellular conditions.
ATP contains two high-energy phosphate bonds, but the last phosphate bond (leading to AMP) does not release as much energy upon hydrolysis. The hydrolysis of ATP to AMP only releases about 3 kcal/mol of energy, which is not considered a high-energy bond. Thus, converting ATP directly to AMP does not yield twice as much energy as converting ATP to ADP.
When a cell performs work, the energy from ATP hydrolysis is often used. Cells use a principle called energy coupling to accomplish this. An example of energy coupling is the running of the Na+/K+ pump, which requires the hydrolysis of ATP and is an essential cellular function. In this process, a phosphate group from ATP is transferred to the pump through phosphorylation, leading to a conformational change that drives the transport of Na+ and K+ ions across the cell membrane.