ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

Now that we have a solid physical and chemical foundation beneath our feet, let’s get to the really cool stuff - the chemical makeup of life itself. Organic molecules react to form biological macromolecules - proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids. These biomolecules are the building blocks of cells. And cells work together to make tissues and organ systems.

The bridge between chemistry and biochemistry is organic chemistry. Understand the structure, function, and reactivity of the basic functional groups and you can predict the reactions of more complex biomolecules.

The organic groups tested on the MCAT include Alkanes, Alkenes, Alcohols, Aldehydes and Ketones, Carboxylic Acids and their derivatives, Phenols, and aromatic Heterocycles.

These functional groups are common among biological molecules like Amino Acids, sugars, and nucleotides, which polymerize to form the building blocks of biology: Proteins, carbohydrates, Lipids (fats), and Nucleic Acids. Each of these plays its own functional role in biological cells.