Calvin cycle compounds

[growingpains]

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One of the BR Bio questions requires knowing what two compounds in the Calvin cycle look like (G-3-P and dihydroxyacetone phosphate). Will we be required to know such information for the MCAT?

 

[MedPR]

One of the BR Bio questions requires knowing what two compounds in the Calvin cycle look like (G-3-P and dihydroxyacetone phosphate). Will we be required to know such information for the MCAT?

Well you should know that G3P is glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and from that you should be able to get at least a pretty good idea of what it looks like. Meaning, you should know what glycerol looks like, so glyceraldehyde is just an aldehyde version and then the 3-phosphate is just a phosphate group bonded to the third oxygen.

Sasme is true for dihydroxy acetone phosphate. You know what acetone is, so just add two hydroxy groups and add a phosphate to one of them.

tl&dr; yes you should know what they look like especially since both are also in glycolysis.

 

[mcloaf]

As MedPR said, nomenclature should enable you to figure out the structures. But that being said, I'd be flabbergasted if the MCAT expected you to know by rote any structures like that.

 

[growingpains]

Thank you so much. Your explanations are reassuring, as I've been out of school for a while and just getting started with my MCAT studying.