JEE Mains 2025 Chemistry Syllabus: A Complete Guide by IITianGuide

Thomson and Rutherford atomic models and their limitations; Nature of electromagnetic radiation, photoelectric effect; Spectrum of the hydrogen atom. Bohr model of a hydrogen atom – its postulates, derivation of the relations for the energy of the electron and radii of the different orbits, limitations of Bohr’s model; Dual nature of matter, de Broglie’s relationship.

Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Elementary ideas of quantum mechanics, quantum mechanics, the quantum mechanical model of the atom, its important features. Concept of atomic orbitals as one-electron wave functions: Variation of and 2 with r for 1s and 2s orbitals; various quantum numbers (principal, angular momentum and magnetic quantum numbers) and their significance; shapes of s, p and d – orbitals, electron spin and spin quantum number: Rules for filling electrons in orbitals – Aufbau principle. Pauli’s exclusion principle and Hund’s rule, electronic configuration of elements, extra stability of half-filled and completely filled orbitals.

Kossel – Lewis approach to chemical bond formation, the concept of ionic and covalent bonds.

Ionic Bonding: Formation of ionic bonds, factors affecting the formation of ionic bonds; calculation of lattice enthalpy.

Covalent Bonding: Concept of electronegativity. Fajan’s rule, dipole moment: Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR ) theory and shapes of simple molecules.

Quantum mechanical approach to covalent bonding: Valence bond theory – its important features, the concept of hybridization involving s, p and d orbitals; Resonance.

Molecular Orbital Theory: Its important features. LCAOs, types of molecular orbitals (bonding, antibonding), sigma and pi-bonds, molecular orbital electronic configurations of homonuclear diatomic molecules, the concept of bond order, bond length and bond energy. Elementary idea of metallic bonding. Hydrogen bonding and its applications.

Fundamentals of thermodynamics: System and surroundings, extensive and intensive properties, state functions, types of processes.

The first law of thermodynamics : Concept of work, heat internal energy and enthalpy, heat capacity, molar heat capacity; Hess’s law of constant heat summation; Enthalpies of bond dissociation, combustion, formation, atomization, sublimation, phase transition, hydration, ionization and solution.

The second law of thermodynamics: Spontaneity of processes; S of the universe and G of the system as criteria for spontaneity. G (Standard Gibbs energy change) and equilibrium constant.

Meaning of equilibrium, the concept of dynamic equilibrium.

Equilibria involving physical processes: Solid-liquid, liquid – gas and solid-gas equilibria, Henry’s law. General characteristics of equilibrium involving physical processes.

Equilibrium involving chemical processes: Law of chemical equilibrium, equilibrium constants (Kp and Kc) and their significance, the significance of G and G in chemical equilibrium, factors affecting equilibrium concentration, pressure, temperature, the effect of catalyst; Le Chatelier’s principle.

Ionic equilibrium: Weak and strong electrolytes, ionization of electrolytes, various concepts of acids and bases (Arrhenius. Bronsted – Lowry and Lewis) and their ionization, acid-base equilibria (including multistage ionization) and ionization constants, ionization of water. pH scale, common ion effect, hydrolysis of salts and pH of their solutions, the solubility of sparingly soluble salts and solubility products, buffer solutions

Group -13 to Group 18 Elements:

General Introduction: Electronic configuration and general trends in physical and chemical properties of elements across the periods and down the groups; unique behaviour of the first element in each group.

Groupwise study of the p – block elements Group -13:

Preparation, properties and uses of boron and aluminium; Structure, properties and uses of borax, boric acid, diborane, boron trifluoride, aluminium chloride and alums.

Group -14:

The tendency for catenation; Structure, properties and uses of Allotropes and oxides of carbon, silicon tetrachloride, silicates, zeolites and silicones.

Group -15:

Properties and uses of nitrogen and phosphorus; Allotrophic forms of phosphorus; Preparation, properties, structure and uses of ammonia, nitric acid, phosphine and phosphorus halides, (PCl3. PCl5); Structures of oxides and oxoacids of nitrogen and phosphorus.

Group -16:

Preparation, properties, structures and uses of ozone: Allotropic forms of sulphur; Preparation, properties, structures and uses of sulphuric acid (including its industrial preparation); Structures of oxoacids of sulphur.

Group-17:

Preparation, properties and uses of hydrochloric acid; Trends in the acidic nature of hydrogen halides; Structures of Interhalogen compounds and oxides and oxoacids of halogens.

Group-18:

Occurrence and uses of noble gases; Structures of fluorides and oxides of xenon.

Transition Elements: General introduction, electronic configuration, occurrence and characteristics, general trends in properties of the first-row transition elements – physical properties, ionization enthalpy, oxidation states, atomic radii, colour, catalytic behaviour, magnetic properties, complex formation, interstitial compounds, alloy formation; Preparation, properties and uses of K2Cr2O7, and KMnO4.

Inner Transition Elements

Lanthanoids – Electronic configuration,oxidation states and lanthanoid contraction.

Actinoids: Electronic configuration and oxidation states.

Purification-Crystallization, sublimation, distillation, differential extraction and chromatography-principles and their applications.

Qualitative analysis-Detection of nitrogen, sulphur, phosphorus and halogens.

Quantitative analysis (basic principles only) – Estimation of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, halogens, sulphur, phosphorus. Calculations of empirical formulae and molecular formulae: Numerical problems in organic quantitative analysis,

Classification, isomerism, IUPAC nomenclature, general methods of preparation, properties and reactions.

Alkanes: Conformations: Sawhorse and Newman projections (of ethane): Mechanism of halogenation of alkanes.

Alkenes: Geometrical isomerism: Mechanism of electrophilic addition: addition of hydrogen, halogens, water, hydrogen halides (Markownikoffs and peroxide effect): Ozonolysis and polymerization.

Alkynes: Acidic character: Addition of hydrogen, halogens, water and hydrogen halides: Polymerization.

Aromatic hydrocarbons: Nomenclature, benzene – structure and aromaticity: Mechanism of electrophilic substitution: halogenation, nitration.

Friedel – Craft’s alkylation and acylation, directive influence of the functional group in mono-substituted benzene.

General introduction and classification of polymers, general methods of polymerization, – Addition and condensation, copolymerization. Natural and synthetic, rubber and vulcanization, some important polymers with emphasis on their monomers and uses – polythene, nylon, polyester and bakelite.

PROTEINS: Elementary Idea of -amino acids, peptide bond, polypeptides. Proteins: primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure (qualitative idea only), denaturation of proteins, enzymes.

VITAMINS: Classification and functions.

Nucleic Acids: Chemical constitution of DNA and RNA. Biological functions of nucleic acids.