When referring to the “Chemical” portion of the MCAT, it specifically pertains to the section called “Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems.” This section assesses your understanding of chemistry and physics concepts and how they apply to biological systems. Here’s a detailed look at what this section includes:
Content Areas:
- General Chemistry:
- Atomic and Molecular Structure: Understanding of atoms, molecules, and bonding theories.
- Chemical Reactions: Types of reactions, stoichiometry, equilibrium, and kinetics.
- Thermodynamics: Concepts such as enthalpy, entropy, and free energy.
- Acids and Bases: Properties, pH, titrations, and buffers.
- Electrochemistry: Redox reactions, electrochemical cells, and standard reduction potentials.
- Organic Chemistry:
- Structure and Function: Functional groups, isomerism, and stereochemistry.
- Reactions: Mechanisms, synthesis, and reaction types including nucleophilic substitutions and eliminations.
- Spectroscopy and Chromatography: Techniques used to identify organic compounds.
- Physics:
- Mechanics: Newton’s laws, work, energy, and momentum.
- Fluid Dynamics: Principles of fluids at rest and in motion, including Bernoulli’s equation.
- Waves and Optics: Properties of waves, sound, light, and optical instruments.
- Electromagnetism: Electric fields, magnetic fields, and circuits.
