This    chapter is  vital   for understanding   all the reactions   you’ll  see in  the next    six chapters    of

this    book    (Chapters   5-10).  On  top of  that,   this    material    is  directly    tested  on  the MCAT    as  often

as  any other   topic   in  organic chemistry.  Make    sure    you know    all of  it!

Introduction

Sitting down to MCAT organic chemistry problems can be overwhelming at first, particularly if the
reactants or reagents are new to you. The reactions on the page may seem like stage magic—fun to
watch, but controlled by forces outside of our knowledge. The good news, however, is that organic
chemistry isn’t magic—and it is governed by sets of rules that make understanding what will happen
much simpler. In this chapter, we will go over several of the aspects that determine how a complex
reaction proceeds, and take a brief look at functional group reactivity. Then, armed with this
knowledge, we lay out the simple, sequential steps that we can use to determine which reactions
will take place. Chapters 5 through 10 of MCAT Organic Chemistry Review focus on applications of
these principles with different functional groups, so look for patterns between these reactions as
you continue preparing for Test Day. With these tools in hand, we can show the MCAT that we know
how the trick is done—it isn’t magic.