What are the not-so-common things you MUST memorize?

[atomi]

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[Vihsadas]

It's probably a good idea to know the characteristics of each amino acid (but NOT their structures)
i.e.
Which ones are acidic and basic
Which ones are hydrophilic and hydrophobic
etc...

 

[hypnix]

Yeah, I am going through Kaplan's High Yield Problem Solving Guide and I was looking at the last page of the G-Chem section which is on electrochemistry. You have to apply the Nernst equation.

Is it it safe to say that the MCAT won't ask us a calculation problem that would require this much work?

 

[atomi]

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[134317]

doppler effect ALWAYS shows up.

f' = f * (v +/- vd) / (v -/+ vs)

you have to choose plus or minus. The mnemonic is "top... toward". For the numerator, if the detector is moving towards the source, choose the plus. For the denominator, if the source if moving toward the detector, choose the minus.

 

[bozz]

memorize atomic weight of the elements:

C, N, O

 

[tncekm]

doppler effect ALWAYS shows up.

f' = f * (v +/- vd) / (v -/+ vs)

you have to choose plus or minus. The mnemonic is "top... toward". For the numerator, if the detector is moving towards the source, choose the plus. For the denominator, if the source if moving toward the detector, choose the minus.

Can't you just use one of the approximation equations?

Δf/f = v/c or Δλ/λ = v/c (where v is the "net" velocity between the source and the detector)

 

[Vihsadas]

Good suggestion - what about trends? Things like weakest and strongest bases or electron donating and withdrawing groups?

Any particular ochem reactions that we MUST memorize? I can't see why they would make us memorize things like the Wolff-Kishner reduction even though it's in the EK book, and I don't want to waste time memorizing the mechanism if I don't have to.

Maybe the extremes, but I don't think that you'll need to memorize like a list for each characteristic.

 

[Kaustikos]

Good suggestion - what about trends? Things like weakest and strongest bases or electron donating and withdrawing groups?

Any particular ochem reactions that we MUST memorize? I can't see why they would make us memorize things like the Wolff-Kishner reduction even though it's in the EK book, and I don't want to waste time memorizing the mechanism if I don't have to.

Here's the thing about organic chemistry. You may think you won't need to memorize it, but trust me, it helps. Reading a reaction mechanism for alkenes and how it works and memorizing/understanding it is awesome because you will see it in other reactions. Organic Chemistry is filled with trends.

With Wolff-Kishner, it's more or less showing how to fully reduce an aldehyde/ketone into an alkane. These DO show up and are helpful, if anything, to know what is involved and the purpose. Knowing Wolff-Kishner is for full reduction of aldy's/ketones is good, but knowing what is involved is even better in case they ask you some random question at the end of the passage about the original reactant (hydrazine).

 

[atomi]

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[bozz]

Wouldn't it just be easier to think about what it sounds like when an ambulance is approaching you (the siren is getting higher pitched)? Of course maybe this comes naturally since I used to design pulse-doppler radar systems, heh

that's not enough.. you'd need to know more than that.

 

[tf2medic]

all you need to remember is (change in f)/(f of source) = v/c. you get v by either adding or subtracting the two velocities. if the object and source are moving in same direction, you subtract them. if they are opposite directions, you add them. for change in f you have to determine what direction yourself...if the two things are getting closer, then you add change in f to f of source. if they are getting further apart, you subtract change in f to f of source.