orgo on mcat

[spongiebob]

What part of organic chemistry is most emphasized in the mcat. i hear the amount of orgo has been cut down. Thanks,

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[bjb305]

well for starters.. know every reaction, the passages will most likely have quite a few reactions each, so know them all

 

[wetlightning]

well for starters.. know every reaction, the passages will most likely have quite a few reactions each, so know them all

yes, lots of SN1/SN2, E1/E2...know the conditions necessary/conducive for these reactions.

also, lots of oxygen-based compds...carbonyl rxn's of all forms (esters, carboxylic acids, ketones, aldehydes, etc.)

things like purification and separation of org. compds...what settles in aqueous layer vs. organic layer....what would adding NaOH to an unknown solution that has both organic and aqueous components do, etc.

 

[pancarre12]

I'll give you some common advice by saying that you should NOT waste your time memorizing all reactions and the conditions under which they occur. Just understand the general manner in which different functional groups behave, and reason your way through unfamiliar reactions based upon this knowledge. Trying to identify and recall the outcome of every reaction you encounter is not practical, especially since you'll probably be anything but relaxed on test day, and because you're likely to see some unusual reactions.

You'll see ODD applications of general chemical rules. If you hunt for the prescribed mental note you'll come up empty, I think. For example, know that a carbonyl carbon is often subjected to nucleophilic attack; know that an addition results if there are no decent leaving groups, and that a substition results if there are; et cetera...

 

[NRAI2001]

Bump it

 

[bschmit]

I thought their was an unusualy high amount of ORGO on my MCAT....almost 50% of BS...........anyone else?

 

[Avalanche21]

Really? There were only about 3 organic passages on mine (out of 11), I was a bit disappointed.

 

[NRAI2001]

A few people have told me not to memorize any orgo reactions, but to kinda know a few general mechs, and of course NMR, IR,....etc.

Do others of you out there believe this to be wise also? I m looking to score 30+.

 

[blee]

If you need to memorize anything, it would be the major NMR and IR peaks. The rest of the material you need for the orgo (major reaction mechanisms, basic acid/base chemistry, etc.) you should already be familiar with from your schoolwork. If not, it would be a good idea to review those.

 

[NRAI2001]

If you need to memorize anything, it would be the major NMR and IR peaks. The rest of the material you need for the orgo (major reaction mechanisms, basic acid/base chemistry, etc.) you should already be familiar with from your schoolwork. If not, it would be a good idea to review those.

I don't know anyone unless if they just took Orgo that actually remembers many of the reactions (general acid/base and redox...other g chem stuff...etc exempt).