Secondly, since many of the individual steps in the reaction sequences included in a short introduction to hiochemistry are examples of standard organic reactions, it seems essential that at least a few of these mechanisms be explained in the organic section of the course. I believe when-we teach biochemistry we must teach it with the objective of giving students chemical insight into the reaction sequences we are asking them to study. Finally, it is learning the differences in the physical conditions required, and the results obtained when similar reactions occur in an oreanic reaction vessel or in a livine cell which eives students a reil appreciation for the phenomenon we call Life. How can we explain the function of ATP in hiochemistrv if we have not discussed the aryl transfer mechanism, and resonance'? What doaudenw Ienm atlout biorhemistrs when we tell them that dihydroxyacetone phosphate coml;ines with glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate to give fructose l,6-diphosphate, if we have not first taught them the mechanism of acyl addition, including the stereochemistry? What does enzyme specificity really mean to someone who knows nothing about nonenzyme governed organic reactions? I teach an introductory organic-biochemistry course in an open-door community college, and have found that the students taking this course are both highly motivated and quite capable of understanding organic mechanisms when they are well presented. Margot K. Schumm To the Editor:
Organic Chemistry for Health-Science Students To the Editor: 1 was greatly heartened by Julien Cenyea and Denis M. Callewaen's article "Chemistry for Health-Science Student.? IGO. 471 (198:11], for the lark of emphasis on hasic rhrmiral ~ h ~ oin r vmanv ol'the rourses desimed for allied health srudents has long been of grave concern to me. I concur in the authors' contention that chemistry courses for students entering the allied health field must provide "students with the background to understand the reasons for what they do, in addition to knowing what do to." I would like to add that this emphasis on a sound foundation is essential, for it is the only wav students to cope with the rapid chanees in . to prepare . . health rare and health rare technology. While 1 agrrr with Gcnvea and ('nllewarrt'j rcrommendations for what should he emphasized in the general chemistry component of an allied health chemistry course, I do have a somewhat divergent perspective on the organic component. In the first place, having learned organic chemistry from the first editionof brewst& and the second edition ofkieser and Firsrr. I know what it is to lrarn organic rhrmistrs without mechanism. Think what it was like to study the re&ions of alkenes with electro~hilicreaaents before carhonium ion theory. Pure rote memorization. The lasting impression for the nonchemistry major was that organic chemistry requires nothing more than sheer rote memory, an impression that is still around today. 272
Journal of Chemical Education
Montgomery College Rockville. MD 20850
We would like to thank Schumm for her remarks on what are appropriate topics for a chemistry course for healthscience students. We believe that an ongoing discussion of this subject by chemical educators is long overdue. In a typical sequence of courses designed for chemistry majors and pre-medical students, two semesters of general chemistry and two semesters of organic chemistry are prereouisites for courses in hiochemistrv. Such a seouence allows enough time in the organic courses for an adequate discussion of the mechanisms of organic reactions. However, students in a health-science program typically take only two semesters of chemistry and one must make judicious choices with regard to what topics are covered and how extensive the treatment of those topics that are covered should he. We are not against the teaching of organic reaction mechanisms. In the course that we teach for health-science students, we include some aspects of this topic. However, we do believe that "it is necessary t o deemphasize drastically, as compared to typical organic chemistry courses, detailed discussions of laboratory synthesis, reaction mechanism, and structural analysis.. ." We agree with Professor Schumm that students a t this level are quite capable of understanding oraanic reaction mechanisms. of necessity mostof
