What are the pros and cons in taking Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry in one semester?

Answer 1

The Cons:
Organic chemistry is more "fundamental" than biochemistry. Biochemistry is likely to be very confusing. Its likely to be even more confusing if you haven't taken organic chemistry first. In organic you look at functional groups and one kind of a reaction at a time. In biochemistry, you look at the reactions that actually happen in living things with sometimes very complex molecules that have many functional groups and where different kinds of reactions occur at multiple functional groups at the same time. All the biochem reactions are enzyme-catalyzed and the enzymes are regulated by the concentrations of other substances in the cell or outside the cell. Also, the expression of the genes for the enzymes is regulated in the nucleus by still other substances. You have to learn all that, as well, in biochemistry. Also, you have to learn the transport of substances through membranes and how membrane transport proteins are regulated.

In organic chemistry, you basically just use, heat, acid, base, platinum or lewis acids (AlCl3 or BF3) to catalyze reactions. And you use solvents and the different properties of solvents to seperate products. In that way, its easier to understand.

Pro: The only pro I can think of is that organic is very industrially focused even though bio builds on it. If you're a life-science or medical person, organic by itself might seem pointless but if you take them together, what you learn in organic will be more meaningful as you apply it to bio. So you could make an emotional argument for taking them together. Everything else you take that term better be VERY Mickey Mouse because you're going to have to memorize reams of material.

Answer 2

Pay attention to the first two answerers and never ever attempt the first semester of organic with biochemistry. Forty years ago, I taught chemistry at a university in Ohio. A dean of engineering had one of his students who needed some credits to avoid being drafted and sent to Viet Nam. So the dean signed him up for the first and second semesters of organic chemistry at once. It was a disaster. Not only did the student not learn any thing, but in the laboratory, he was a danger to himself and others.

Answer 3

Don't take both in one sem. Both are hard subjects (the reactions including mechanisms plus the vastness of organic molecules) but it is organic chemistry that you should take first before biochemistry since biomolecules involve organic chemistry.

Answer 4

I agree. Biochemistry (depending on the course; if it is an introductory course, then this doesn't apply) uses and expects the student to understand simple concepts from organic chem.

For example, it is easier to understand the simple SN1 reaction in molecules with 4-5 carbons as compared to molecules with 20-25 carbons.

Answer 5

If you don't retake the OC class you'll be making a serious mistake. Biochem is not a normal prerequisite for medical school, although some schools may add it, so taking it in lieu of repeating OC is useless. Your GPA in the prereqs is one of the focii of admission committees, so any deficit in this area would impact your acceptance. Retaking the course is your only realtistic option. Use a tutor to improve your grades. Besides, if you can't master OC it's wishful thinking that you'd fare better in Biochem.

Answer 6

Organic-traditional-labs take 4-8 hours. Yes, they do.. Industrial organic. Same labs done at high pressure and temperature.-- hours less.
Bio labs are conducted by prisses who don't acknowledge that there is a world outside the bio.
Basically both courses do not acknowlege each other. They will assign tests do for a day each has another
Remember, each lab hour requires about 1 hour prep?
Bio and organic requires 2(4 hr) lab + 2(4hr.lab)

Answer 7

Biochem + Organic Chem in same term = Suicide

Don't do it.
You need far too much background in Organic to even touch Biochem. Bond types, bond angles, reaction types, zwitterions, carbohydrate chemistry, amino acid chemistry (= amine chemistry + carboxylic acid chemistry + other stuff you haven't had yet...)

Don't do it...

Answer 8

You should have organic down, before biochemistry.
Bio will use concepts which you may not have a sound grasp of. Stereo chem, rx's, ..way too far back.