Class 11 Chemistry Syllabus: CBSE Units, Topics and Practicals

Class 11 chemistry syllabus: units and marks

CBSE gives a mark allotment for each unit. Class 11 papers are set and marked by your school, but they are expected to follow this split.

Roughly, physical chemistry (units I, II, V, VI and VII) carries 36 marks, inorganic (units III and IV) 13, and organic (units VIII and IX) 21.

Chapter-wise topics in the chemistry class 11 syllabus

Some basic concepts of chemistry

• Laws of chemical combination, Dalton's atomic theory, atomic and molecular masses
• Mole concept and molar mass, percentage composition, empirical and molecular formula
• Stoichiometry and calculations based on it

Structure of atom

• Discovery of electron, proton and neutron; Thomson's and Rutherford's models and their limits
• Bohr's model, dual nature of matter and light, de Broglie's relationship, Heisenberg uncertainty principle
• Quantum numbers, shapes of s, p and d orbitals, Aufbau principle, Pauli exclusion principle and Hund's rule, electronic configuration

Classification of elements and periodicity

• Modern periodic law and the present form of the periodic table
• Periodic trends: atomic and ionic radii, ionisation enthalpy, electron gain enthalpy, electronegativity, valency
• Nomenclature of elements with atomic number above 100

Chemical bonding and molecular structure

• Ionic and covalent bonds, Lewis structures, polar character, bond parameters
• VSEPR theory, valence bond theory, hybridisation involving s, p and d orbitals
• Molecular orbital theory of homonuclear diatomic molecules (qualitative), hydrogen bond

Chemical thermodynamics

• System and surroundings, work, heat, energy, extensive and intensive properties
• First law, internal energy and enthalpy, Hess's law, enthalpies of bond dissociation, combustion, formation and so on
• Entropy as a state function, Gibbs energy change for spontaneous and non spontaneous processes, criteria for equilibrium, a brief idea of the third law

Equilibrium

• Law of mass action, equilibrium constant, Le Chatelier's principle
• Ionic equilibrium, acids and bases, ionisation of weak acids and bases, pH, buffer solutions, solubility product, common ion effect, hydrolysis of salts

Redox reactions

• Oxidation and reduction, oxidation number, balancing redox reactions in terms of electron loss and gain and change in oxidation number

Organic chemistry: some basic principles and techniques

• Methods of purification, qualitative and quantitative analysis, classification and IUPAC nomenclature
• Electronic displacements: inductive effect, electromeric effect, mesomeric effect, hyperconjugation
• Homolytic and heterolytic fission, free radicals, carbocations, carbanions, electrophiles and nucleophiles, types of organic reactions

Hydrocarbons

• Alkanes: nomenclature, isomerism, conformations of ethane, properties and reactions
• Alkenes and alkynes: structure, geometrical isomerism for alkenes, preparation and reactions including Markovnikov's addition and peroxide effect
• Aromatic hydrocarbons: benzene and its delocalised structure, aromaticity, electrophilic substitution, directive influence of groups, carcinogenicity and toxicity

Chemistry practicals in class 11: the 30-mark breakup

Experiments include basic laboratory techniques, characterisation and purification of chemical substances, pH experiments, chemical equilibrium, quantitative estimation by titration, and qualitative tests that reveal which ions a given salt contains. Your school lab manual lists the exact set.

Which units matter most for NEET and JEE

Entrance exams treat class 11 chemistry as half their syllabus. The units that most often feed into entrance questions are mole concept, structure of atom, chemical bonding, thermodynamics, equilibrium and general organic chemistry, because class 12 chapters build on them.

• General organic chemistry (unit VIII) decides how well you will handle every organic chapter in class 12.
• Equilibrium and thermodynamics are calculation-heavy; practise numericals weekly.
• Periodicity and bonding reward memory plus reasoning, and repeat in many forms.

For the full entrance scope, read the NEET chemistry syllabus and the JEE Main syllabus.

A year plan for class 11 chemistry

1. April to July: basic concepts, structure of atom and periodicity. Make a formula sheet for mole calculations.
2. August to October: chemical bonding, thermodynamics and equilibrium. Solve every in-text and back exercise in NCERT.
3. November to December: redox reactions and general organic chemistry. Draw mechanisms by hand.
4. January to February: hydrocarbons, full revision and practice of the practical file and viva.

Books and related syllabi

The NCERT class 11 chemistry books in two parts are the core text, and NCERT Exemplar adds harder questions. For extra numericals, use any physical chemistry problem book that follows the rationalised chapter list.

Every subject of the year is gathered in our CBSE class 11 syllabus guide; pair this page with the class 11 physics syllabus, then move on to the class 12 chemistry syllabus, which builds directly on these units.