Department of Medicinal Chemistry - Med Chem Qualifying Exam Information 2008

The Medicinal Chemistry Qualifying Exam will be given on Monday, September 22 at 9:30 a.m. in the Health Sciences Building Room T439.

Successful completion of MedChem 400 or a passing grade on this examination is one prerequisite to take the sequence of medicinal chemistry courses in the second year (MedChem 402-403-404). Students who do not pass this examination now are required to successfully complete MedChem 400 (Fundamental Concepts in Medicinal Chemistry) Autumn quarter to meet this prerequisite. Students who pass this exam are not required to take MedChem 400, but may choose to take it as a professional elective.

The Department of Medicinal Chemistry was asked to provide some information on what areas and principles of organic chemistry are important background for this qualifying examination. Important topics include:

1. Chemical Bonding, Hybridization, Resonance, Electronegativity
2. Basic Functional Groups in Organic Chemistry (e.g. alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, esters, amides, amines, carboxylic acids, etc.)
3. Concepts of pKa and pH as related to organic compounds
4. Isomerism (positional, geometric, conformational, configurational)
5. Reactions of Functional Groups
6. Fundamental Mechanisms of Chemical Reactions, arrow pushing mechanisms for standard chemical processes, e.g.,
   1. Nucleophilic substitution processes at saturated carbons (SN₁, SN₂ reactions)
   2. Conjugate addition processes, e.g. addition to alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds
   3. Hydrolytic processes of ketals, esters, amides, nitriles
   4. Elimination processes (E-1, E-2 reactions)
   5. Tautomerization (Keto-enol tautomerization)

It is a closed book exam (no notes, no books - please don't bring them). It has a time limit. The examination has no spectroscopy problems and little emphasis is placed on IUPAC nomenclature. No calculators or molecular models are needed. Please do not bring these either. Bring a pencil; we will provide all necessary paper.

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