Chemistry Syllabus Explorer

Navigating Paper-I & Paper-II Topics

Paper - I

1. Atomic Structure
  • Heisenberg's uncertainty principle
  • Schrodinger wave equation (time independent)
  • Interpretation of wave function, particle in one- dimensional box
  • Quantum numbers
  • Hydrogen atom wave functions
  • Shapes of s, p and d orbitals.

2. Chemical bonding
  • Ionic bond, characteristics of ionic compounds, lattice energy, Born-Haber cycle
  • Covalent bond and its general characteristics, polarities of bonds in molecules and their dipole moments
  • Valence bond theory, concept of resonance and resonance energy
  • Molecular orbital theory (LCAO method); bonding H2+, H2 He2+ to Ne2, NO, CO, HF, CN–
  • Comparison of valence bond and molecular orbital theories, bond order, bond strength and bond length.

3. Solid state
  • Crystal systems; Designation of crystal faces, lattice structures and unit cell
  • Bragg's law; X-ray diffraction by crystals
  • Close packing, radius ratio rules, calculation of some limiting radius ratio values
  • Structures of NaCl, ZnS, CsCl, CaF2
  • Stoichiometric and nonstoichiometric defects, impurity defects, semi-conductors.

4. The gaseous state and Transport Phenomenon
  • Equation of state for real gases, intermolecular interactions, and critical phenomena and liquefaction of gases
  • Maxwell’s distribution of speeds, intermolecular collisions, collisions on the wall and effusion
  • Thermal conductivity and viscosity of ideal gases.

5. Liquid State
  • Kelvin equation
  • Surface tension and surface enercy, wetting and contact angle, interfacial tension and capillary action.

6. Thermodynamics
  • Work, heat and internal energy; first law of thermodynamics.
  • Second law of thermodynamics; entropy as a state function, entropy changes in various processes, entropy-reversibility and irreversibility, Free energy functions
  • Thermodynamic equation of state; Maxwell relations
  • Temperature, volume and pressure dependence of U, H, A, G, Cp and Cv, α and β; J-T effect and inversion temperature
  • Criteria for equilibrium, relation between equilibrium constant and thermodynamic quantities
  • Nernst heat theorem, introductory idea of third law of thermodynamics.
Note: α typically represents the coefficient of thermal expansion and β (or κT) represents isothermal compressibility.

7. Phase equilibria and solutions
  • Clausius-Clapeyron equation; phase diagram for a pure substance
  • Phase equilibria in binary systems, partially miscible liquids—upper and lower critical solution temperatures
  • Partial molar quantities, their significance and determination; excess thermodynamic functions and their determination.

8. Electrochemistry
  • Debye-Huckel theory of strong electrolytes and Debye-Huckel limiting Law for various equilibrium and transport properties.
  • Galvanic cells, concentration cells; electrochemical series, measurement of e.m.f. of cells and its applications fuel cells and batteries.
  • Processes at electrodes; double layer at the interface; rate of charge transfer, current density; overpotential
  • Electroanalytical techniques : amperometry, ion selective electrodes and their use.

9. Chemical kinetics
  • Differential and integral rate equations for zeroth, first, second and fractional order reactions
  • Rate equations involving reverse, parallel, consecutive and chain reactions; Branching chain and explosions
  • Effect of temperature and pressure on rate constant. Study of fast reactions by stop-flow and relaxation methods.
  • Collisions and transition state theories.

10. Photochemistry
  • Absorption of light; decay of excited state by different routes
  • Photochemical reactions between hydrogen and halogens and their quantum yields.

11. Surface phenomena and catalysis
  • Adsorption from gases and solutions on solid adsorbents; Langmuir and B.E.T. adsorption isotherms
  • Determination of surface area, characteristics and mechanism of reaction on heterogeneous catalysts.

12. Bio-inorganic chemistry
  • Metal ions in biological systems and their role in ion-transport across the membranes (molecular mechanism), oxygen-uptake proteins, cytochromes and ferrodoxins.

13. Coordination chemistry

(i) Bonding in transition of metal complexes

  • Valence bond theory, crystal field theory and its modifications; applications of theories in the explanation of magnetism and electronic spectra of metal complexes.

(ii) Isomerism in coordination compounds

  • IUPAC nomenclature of coordination compounds; stereochemistry of complexes with 4 and 6 coordination numbers; chelate effect and polynuclear complexes; trans effect and its theories; kinetics of substitution reactions in square-planar complexes; thermodynamic and kinetic stability of complexes.

(iii) EAN rule, Synthesis structure and reactivity

  • EAN rule, Synthesis structure and reactivity of metal carbonyls; carboxylate anions, carbonyl hydrides and metal nitrosyl compounds.

(iv) Complexes with aromatic systems

  • Complexes with aromatic systems, synthesis, structure and bonding in metal olefin complexes, alkyne complexes and cyclopentadienyl complexes; coordinative unsaturation, oxidative addition reactions, insertion reactions, fluxional molecules and their characterization; Compounds with metal—metal bonds and metal atom clusters.

14. Main Group Chemistry
  • Boranes, borazines, phosphazenes and cyclic phosphazene, silicates and silicones, Interhalogen compounds; Sulphur—nitrogen compounds, noble gas compounds.

15. General Chemistry of ‘f’ Block Element
  • Lanthanides and actinides: separation, oxidation states, magnetic and spectral properties; lanthanide contraction.

Paper - II

1. Delocalised covalent bonding
  • Aromaticity, anti-aromaticity; annulenes, azulenes, tropolones, fulvenes, sydnones.

2. Reaction Mechanisms & Intermediates

(i) Reaction mechanisms

  • General methods (both kinetic and non-kinetic) of study of mechanisms or organic reactions : isotopies, mathod cross-over experiment, intermediate trapping, stereochemistry; energy of activation; thermodynamic control and kinetic control of reactions.

(ii) Reactive intermediates

  • Generation, geometry, stability and reactions of carboniumions and carbanions, free radicals, carbenes, benzynes and nitrenes.

(iii) Substitution reactions

  • SN1, SN2, and SNi, mechanisms ; neighbouring group participation; electrophilic and nucleophilic reactions of aromatic compounds including heterocyclic compounds—pyrrole, furan, thiophene and indole.

(iv) Elimination reactions

  • E1, E2 and E1cb mechanisms; orientation in E2 reactions—Saytzeff and Hoffmann; pyrolytic syn elimination—acetate pyrolysis, Chugaev and Cope eliminations.

(v) Addition reactions

  • Electrophilic addition to C=C and CC; nucleophilic addition to C=O, CN, conjugated olefins and carbonyls.

(vi) Reactions and Rearrangements

(a) Rearrangements:

  • Pinacol-pinacolone
  • Hoffmann
  • Beckmann
  • Baeyer-Villiger
  • Favorskii
  • Fries
  • Claisen
  • Cope
  • Stevens
  • Wagner—Meerwein rearrangements.

(b) Named Reactions & Condensations:

  • Aldol condensation
  • Claisen condensation
  • Dieckmann
  • Perkin
  • Knoevenagel
  • Witting
  • Clemmensen
  • Wolff-Kishner
  • Cannizzaro
  • von Richter reactions
  • Stobbe
  • benzoin and acyloin condensations
  • Fischer indole synthesis
  • Skraup synthesis
  • Bischler-Napieralski
  • Sandmeyer
  • Reimer-Tiemann
  • Reformatsky reactions.

3. Pericyclic reactions
  • Classification and examples; Woodward-Hoffmann rules—electrocyclic reactions, cycloaddition reactions [2+2 and 4+2] and sigmatropic shifts [1, 3; 3, 3 and 1, 5], FMO approach.

4. Polymers and Biopolymers

(i) Preparation and Properties of Polymers

  • Organic polymers: polyethylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, teflon, nylon, terylene, synthetic and natural rubber.

(ii) Biopolymers

  • Structure of proteins, DNA and RNA.

5. Synthetic Uses of Reagents

Key reagents and their applications:

  • OsO4
  • HlO4 (likely HIO4 - Periodic Acid)
  • CrO3
  • Pb(OAc)4
  • SeO2
  • NBS (N-Bromosuccinimide)
  • B2H6 (Diborane)
  • Na-Liquid NH3 (Birch Reduction)
  • LiAlH4 (LAH)
  • NaBH4
  • n-BuLi (n-Butyllithium)
  • MCPBA (meta-Chloroperoxybenzoic acid)

6. Photochemistry (Organic)
  • Photochemical reactions of simple organic compounds, excited and ground states, singlet and triplet states, Norrish-Type I and Type II reactions.

7. Spectroscopy

Principle and applications in structure elucidation:

(i) Rotational

  • Diatomic molecules; isotopic substitution and rotational constants.

(ii) Vibrational

  • Diatomic molecules, linear triatomic molecules, specific frequencies of functional groups in polyatomic molecules.

(iii) Electronic

  • Singlet and triplet states. nπ* and ππ* transitions; application to conjugated double bonds and conjugated carbonyls Woodward-Fieser rules; Charge transfer spectra.

(iv) Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H NMR)

  • Basic principle; chemical shift and spin-spin interaction and coupling constants.

(v) Mass Spectrometry

  • Parent peak, base peak, metastable peak, McLafferty rearrangement.

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