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Deoxyadenosine triphosphate is fundamental in the processes of [[DNA sequencing|DNA sequencing]] and the [[PCR|polymerase chain reaction]]. It is one of the four forms of a [[dntp|deoxynucleotide]] or [[dNTP|dNTP]].

Deoxyadenosine triphosphate consits of the [[purine|purine]] [[adenine|adenine]]. A purine consists of two fused ring structures, a six carbon ring and a five carbon ring. Adenine diverges from the basic structure of a purine as it has an amine group at position 6 of the six [[carbon|carbon]] ring. This purine base [[hydrogen bonds|hydrogen bonds]] to complementary [[thymine|thymine]] bases. DATP also consists of a [[deoxyribose sugar|deoxyribose sugar]] (a [[pentose sugar|pentose sugar]]) and three [[phosphate group|phosphate groups]]. Unlike [[ATP|ATP]], dATP posseses only a [[hydrogen bond|hydrogen bonded]] to a carbon in the pentose sugar, where as ATP posses a [[hydroxyl group |hydroxyl group]] bonded to a [[carbon|carbon]] atom. DATP's are used by [[DNA polymerase|DNA polymerase]] to form complementary base pairs with [[thymine|thymine]] bases on a corresponding 3' to 5' template DNA strand or [[antisense strand|antisense strand]]. The process with which this occurs is known as [[nucleotidyl transfer|nucleotidyl transfer]], in which a [[phosphodiester bond|phosphodiester bond]] is broken, releasing a [[pyrophosphate molecule|pyrophosphate molecule]] (two phosphate groups bonded together). Its molecular formula is&nbsp;C<sub>10</sub>H<sub>16</sub>N<sub>5</sub>O<sub>12</sub>P<sub>3</sub> . DATP is known as a triphosphate<ref>Molecular Biology of the cell;5th edition;Alberts et al;5:266-268</ref><ref>Genetics;8th edition;Hartl and Ruvolo;2:42-47</ref>.

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