Acetyl phosphate, energetics

The highly electrophilic character of the POf ion would suggest a very unselective phosphorylation behavior. For example, the ratio of alkyl phosphate to inorganic phosphate obtained in hydrolyses of phosphoric esters in water/alcohol mixtures should reflect the molar ratio of water and alcohol. This is indeed found in numerous cases, e.g. in the hydrolysis of phenyl and 4-nitrophenyl phosphate monoanions 97) or of 4-nitrophenyl phosphate dianions 65) at 100 °C in methanol/ water mixtures of various compositions, as also in the solvolysis of the acetyl phosphate dianion at 37 °C 97) or of phosphoenol pyruvate monoanions 82). Calculations of the free energy of the addition reactions of water and ethanol to the POf ion support the energetic similarity of the two reactions 98) (Table 4). 

Energetically, this permits acetyl phosphate to be hydrolyzed (by acetate kinase) to acetic acid (yielding one ATP) rather than being reduced to... 

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