MCAT Chem/Phys case studies
MCAT Chem/Phys · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) is the standardized exam that the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) provides for prospective medical students; the AAMC reports that roughly 95,000 people take it each year. The Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems section - commonly called Chem/Phys - is the portion of the exam that tests scientific reasoning combining general chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, introductory physics, and introductory biology in biologically relevant contexts. The MCAT Chem/Phys case studies are 5 cases and about 3,217 words.
1Buffer Capacity at the Bench: How Much Acid Before the Wheels Come Off
A teaching lab supplies 0.100 M acetic acid (pKa = 4.76) and 0.100 M sodium acetate. A student mixes 50.0 mL of each, checks the pH with a freshly calibrated meter, then adds 1.00 mL of 1.00 M HCl with stirring and re-reads the pH.
603 words, about 3 min2Spring-Launched Block: Does the Detector Get Reached, and Does Mass Matter?
A 0.50 kg block is pressed against a spring of stiffness 200 N/m, compressing it 0.20 m from equilibrium on a horizontal frictionless track. The block is released from rest and later climbs a frictionless incline.
644 words, about 3 min3Classifying an Inhibitor from Two Velocity Points
A purified dehydrogenase is assayed in 1.0 mL at 25 degrees C. Without inhibitor, Vmax = 100 micromol/min and Km = 5.0 mM for its substrate.
624 words, about 3 min4Acid-Base Extraction Order: Why NaHCO3 Must Go First
A 2.0 g mixture contains benzoic acid (pKa about 4.2), 4-tert-butylphenol (pKa about 10.2), and biphenyl (no acidic proton). A student dissolves the mixture in 40 mL diethyl ether and plans liquid-liquid extractions with 20 mL portions of aqueous reagent, followed by drying over anhydrous sodium sulfate and rotary evaporation.
666 words, about 3 min5From Birth Incidence to Carrier Frequency: What Hardy-Weinberg Can and Cannot Tell You
A recessive metabolic disorder is present in 1 in 10,000 newborns in a large, randomly mating population. Affected individuals survive past infancy but almost never reproduce; carriers are clinically normal.
680 words, about 3 min