Amino Acids
What are the three basic/main components of an amino acid?
Amino group, carboxyl group, and side chain
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)
What molecule are phospholipid bilayers primarily made of?
what are their components?
Phospholipids! w/ hydrophilic head (phosphate group) and hydrophobic tails (two fatty acid chains)
What are the four sections/pairs of topics on the MCAT?
Chemical/physical foundations, CARS, biology/biochem, psych/behavioural foundations
What are the levels of protein structure? (Question form)
and what kind of bonds form each level? (Doesn't have to be in question form)
Primary - covalent
Secondary (a-helices + b-sheets) - H-bonds
Tertiary - r-group interactions (Van der Waals, H-bonds, ionic/salt bridges, disulfide (covalent))
Quaternary - r-group bonds (Van der Waals, H-bonds, ionic/salt bridges, disulfide (covalent))
What is the general purpose/role of the ETC and Ox Phos?
What force explains spontaneous phospholipid bilayer formation of free phospholipids in aqueous solutions?
Hydrophobic effect
how long is the MCAT (time)?
7.5 hours
What are Km and Vmax?
Km: Michaelis Menten Constant: Affinity of enzyme for substrate. Conc. where the velocity of the reaction is half the Vmax.
Vmax: max rate that enzyme can carry out a rxn.
What side of the IMM are the protons pumped to in the ETC?
Protons are pumped to the IMS.
What molecule acts to control the fluidity of a membrane at both high and low temperatures?
Cholesterol
What the MCAT score range?
472-528
What are types of enzymatic inhibition?
irreversible inhibition (cov. bound), competitive reversible (binds active site), non-competitive reversible (binds allosterically), uncompetitive (binds E+S) complex
What step of glucose metabolism reduces the most e- carriers? How many of each are reduced per glucose molecule (2 Acetyl-CoA)?
TCA: 6 NADH and 2 FADH2
What is the primary thermodynamic driver of hydrophobic effect?
Entropy! Order of non-polar molecules allows water to be free to h-bond with other water molecules which is the main driver of the hydrophobic effect.
How many times can you take the MCAT in two years?
4 times
What are the charges of Histidine's ionizable groups at physiological pH (7.4)?
pKa: 6.0 so r-group may be slightly protonated at pH 7.4
Carboxyl group: protonated (uncharged)
amino group: deprot. (uncharged)
imidazole ring: mostly deprot. (uncharged), w/ small amt. protonated (positive charge)
Answer: mostly neutral but can some can be positively charged
What is the balanced chemical equation of glycolysis?
glucose (C6H6O6) + 2 NAD+ + 2 ADP + 2 Pi --> 2 Pyruvate (C3H4O3) + 2 NADH + 2H+ + 2 ATP + 2H2O
why do fats store more energy that carbs?
They are more reduced and contain lots of hydrocarbons. Able to store and donate e-/ be oxidized. Carbs tend to be more oxidized and less able to give e-.
Average MCAT score of UBC med applicants in 2024.
513.15