chemistry syllabus

CHEMISTRY

Physical chemistry

General topics: Concept of atoms and molecules; Dalton’s atomic theory; Mole
concept; Chemical formulae; Balanced chemical equations; Calculations (based
on mole concept) involving common oxidation-reduction, neutralisation, and
displacement reactions; Concentration in terms of mole fraction, molarity,
molality and normality.
Gaseous and liquid states: Absolute scale of temperature, ideal gas equation;
Deviation from ideality, van der Waals equation; Kinetic theory of gases,
average, root mean square and most probable velocities and their relation
with temperature; Law of partial pressures; Vapour pressure; Diffusion of
gases.
Atomic structure and chemical bonding: Bohr model, spectrum of hydrogen
atom, quantum numbers; Wave-particle duality, de Broglie hypothesis;
Uncertainty principle; Qualitative quantum mechanical picture of hydrogen
atom, shapes of s, p and d orbitals; Electronic configurations of elements (up to
atomic number 36); Aufbau principle; Pauli’s exclusion principle and Hund’s
rule; Orbital overlap and covalent bond; Hybridisation involving s, p and d
orbitals only; Orbital energy diagrams for homonuclear diatomic species;
Hydrogen bond; Polarity in molecules, dipole moment (qualitative aspects
only); VSEPR model and shapes of molecules (linear, angular, triangular, square
planar, pyramidal, square pyramidal, trigonal bipyramidal, tetrahedral and octahedral)



Energetics:

 First law of thermodynamics; Internal energy, work and heat,
pressure-volume work; Enthalpy, Hess’s law; Heat of reaction, fusion and
vapourization; Second law of thermodynamics; Entropy; Free energy; Criterion
of spontaneity.
Chemical equilibrium: Law of mass action; Equilibrium constant, Le Chatelier’s
principle (effect of concentration, temperature and pressure); Significance of
ΔG and ΔG0
 in chemical equilibrium; Solubility product, common ion effect, pH
and buffer solutions; Acids and bases (Bronsted and Lewis concepts);
Hydrolysis of salts.

Electrochemistry:

 Electrochemical cells and cell reactions; Standard electrode
potentials; Nernst equation and its relation to ΔG; Electrochemical series, emf
of galvanic cells; Faraday’s laws of electrolysis; Electrolytic conductance,
specific, equivalent and molar conductivity, Kohlrausch’s law; Concentration
cells.
Chemical kinetics: Rates of chemical reactions; Order of reactions; Rate
constant; First order reactions; Temperature dependence of rate constant
(Arrhenius equation).
Solid state: Classification of solids, crystalline state, seven crystal systems (cell
parameters a, b, c, α, β, γ), close packed structure of solids (cubic), packing in
fcc, bcc and hcp lattices; Nearest neighbours, ionic radii, simple ionic
compounds, point defects.
Solutions: Raoult’s law; Molecular weight determination from lowering of
vapour pressure, elevation of boiling point and depression of freezing point. Surface chemistry: Elementary concepts of adsorption (excluding adsorption
isotherms); Colloids: types, methods of preparation and general properties;
Elementary ideas of emulsions, surfactants and micelles (only definitions and
examples).

Nuclear chemistry:

Radioactivity: isotopes and isobars; Properties of α, β and γ
rays; Kinetics of radioactive decay (decay series excluded), carbon dating;
Stability of nuclei with respect to proton-neutron ratio; Brief discussion on
fission and fusion reactions.
Inorganic
Isolation/preparation and properties of the following non-metals: Boron,
silicon, nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen, sulphur and halogens; Properties of
allotropes of carbon (only diamond and graphite), phosphorus and sulphur.
Preparation and properties of the following compounds: Oxides, peroxides,
hydroxides, carbonates, bicarbonates, chlorides and sulphates of sodium,
potassium, magnesium and calcium; Boron: diborane, boric acid and borax;
Aluminium: alumina, aluminium chloride and alums; Carbon: oxides and
oxyacid (carbonic acid); Silicon: si  nomenclature excluded);

IUPAC nomenclature of simple organic

(only hydrocarbons, mono-functional and bi-functional compounds);
Conformations of ethane and butane (Newman projections); Resonance and
hyperconjugation; Keto-enoltautomerism; Determination of empirical and
molecular formulae of simple compounds (only combustion method);
Hydrogen bonds: definition and their effects on physical properties of alcohols
and carboxylic acids; Inductive and resonance effects on acidity and basicity of
organic acids and bases; Polarity and inductive effects in alkyl halides; Reactive
intermediates produced during homolytic and heterolytic bond cleavage;
Formation, structure and stability of carbocations, carbanions and free
radicals.
Preparation, properties and reactions of alkanes: Homologous series, physical
properties of alkanes (melting points, boiling points and density); Combustion
and halogenation of alkanes; Preparation of alkanes by Wurtz reaction and
decarboxylation reactions.
Preparation, properties and reactions of alkenes and alkynes: Physical
properties of alkenes and alkynes (boiling points, density and dipole
moments); Acidity of alkynes; Acid catalysed hydration of alkenes and alkynes
(excluding the stereochemistry of addition and elimination); Reactions of
alkenes with KMnO4 and ozone; Reduction of alkenes and alkynes; Preparation
of alkenes and alkynes by elimination reactions; Electrophilic addition
reactions of alkenes with X2, HX, HOX and H2O (X=halogen); Addition reactions
of alkynes; Metal acetylide
Reactions of benzene:
Structure and aromaticity; Electrophilic substitution
reactions: halogenation, nitration, sulphonation, Friedel-Crafts alkylation and
acylation; Effect of o-, m- and p-directing groups in monosubstituted benzenes.
Phenols: Acidity, electrophilic substitution reactions (halogenation, nitration
and sulphonation); Reimer-Tieman reaction, Kolbe reaction.
Characteristic reactions of the following (including those mentioned above):
Alkyl halides: rearrangement reactions of alkyl carbocation, Grignard reactions,
nucleophilic substitution reactions; Alcohols: esterification, dehydration and
oxidation, reaction with sodium, phosphorus halides, ZnCl2/concentrated HCl,
conversion of alcohols into aldehydes and ketones; Ethers: Preparation by
Williamson’s Synthesis; Aldehydes and Ketones: oxidation, reduction, oxime
and hydrazone formation; aldol condensation, Perkin reaction; Cannizzaro
reaction; haloform reaction and nucleophilic addition reactions (Grignard
addition); Carboxylic acids: formation of esters, acid chlorides and amides,
ester hydrolysis; Amines: basicity of substituted anilines and aliphatic amines,
preparation from nitro compounds, reaction with nitrous acid, azo coupling
reaction of diazonium salts of aromatic amines, Sandmeyer and related
reactions of diazonium salts; carbylamine reaction; Haloarenes: nucleophilic
aromatic substitution in haloarenes and substituted haloarenes (excluding
Benzyne mechanism and Cine substitution).
Carbohydrates: Classification; mono- and di-saccharides (glucose and sucrose);
Oxidation, reduction, glycoside formation and hydrolysis of sucrose.
Amino acids and peptides: General structure (only primary structure for
peptides) and physical properties.

Properties and uses of some important polymers: Natural rubber, cellulose,
nylon, teflon and PVC.
Practical organic chemistry: Detection of elements (N, S, halogens); Detection
and identification of the following functional groups: hydroxyl (alcoholic and
phenolic), carbonyl (aldehyde and ketone), carboxyl, amino and nitro;
Chemical methods of separation of mono-functional organic compounds from
binary mixtures.