Chemistry Class 12 Syllabus for CBSE, Unit by Unit

Unit-wise marks in the chemistry class 12 syllabus

In this class 12th chemistry syllabus, physical chemistry (units 1 to 3) gives 23 marks, inorganic (units 4 and 5) gives 14, and organic (units 6 to 10) gives 33. That split should shape your time.

Physical chemistry units

Solutions

Types of solutions, ways of expressing concentration (molarity, molality, mole fraction, mass percentage), solubility of gases and Henry's law, Raoult's law, ideal and non-ideal solutions, colligative properties (relative lowering of vapour pressure, elevation of boiling point, depression of freezing point, osmotic pressure), finding molar mass from them, abnormal molar mass and the van't Hoff factor.

Electrochemistry

Redox reactions, conductance in electrolytic solutions, specific and molar conductivity and how they change with concentration, Kohlrausch's law, electrolysis, galvanic cells, EMF, standard electrode potential, the Nernst equation and its use, the link between Gibbs energy and EMF, dry cell and lead accumulator, fuel cells and corrosion.

Chemical Kinetics

Rate of reaction (average and instantaneous), factors affecting rate, order and molecularity, rate law and rate constant, integrated rate equations and half life for zero and first order reactions, activation energy and the Arrhenius equation, and a simple idea of collision theory.

Inorganic chemistry units

d and f Block Elements

General introduction, electronic configuration, occurrence and characteristics of transition metals, and trends in metallic character, ionisation enthalpy, oxidation states, ionic radii, colour, catalytic property, magnetic property, interstitial compounds and alloy formation. Lanthanoids (configuration, oxidation states, lanthanoid contraction and its effects) and actinoids (configuration, oxidation states, comparison with lanthanoids).

Coordination Compounds

Ligands, coordination number, colour, magnetic properties and shapes, IUPAC naming of mononuclear complexes, Werner's theory, bonding through valence bond theory and crystal field theory, isomerism (structural and stereo), and the importance of coordination compounds in qualitative analysis, metal extraction and biological systems.

Organic chemistry units

Haloalkanes and Haloarenes

Naming, nature of the C to X bond, physical and chemical properties, optical rotation, substitution reaction mechanisms (SN1 and SN2), and the uses and environmental effects of dichloromethane, trichloromethane, tetrachloromethane, iodoform, freons and DDT.

Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers

Naming, methods of preparation, physical and chemical properties of primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols, identification, mechanism of dehydration, the acidic nature of phenol, electrophilic substitution in phenol, and uses of ethers.

Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids

Nature of the carbonyl group, preparation, properties, the mechanism of nucleophilic addition, reactivity of alpha hydrogen in aldehydes, and the acidic nature of carboxylic acids with their preparation and uses.

Amines

Classification, structure, preparation, physical and chemical properties, uses, and how to tell primary, secondary and tertiary amines apart. Diazonium salts: preparation, chemical reactions and importance in synthetic organic chemistry.

Biomolecules

Carbohydrates (monosaccharides such as glucose and fructose, the D and L configuration, oligosaccharides such as sucrose, lactose and maltose, polysaccharides such as starch, cellulose and glycogen), proteins (amino acids, the peptide bond, levels of structure, denaturation, enzymes), hormones (elementary idea, no structures), vitamins (classification and functions) and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA).

Chapters no longer in the class 12 chemistry syllabus

After the NCERT rationalisation, several chapters that older guides still carry were dropped from the CBSE course: The Solid State, Surface Chemistry, General Principles and Processes of Isolation of Elements, the p Block Elements (class 12 part), Polymers, and Chemistry in Everyday Life. If you use an older book, skip these for the board exam. Parts of them may still appear in entrance tests, so if you are writing one, compare the NEET chemistry syllabus or the JEE Main syllabus too.

Question paper design

Some questions offer an internal choice. Expect plenty of competency based items too: you apply an idea to a data table, a graph or an unfamiliar reaction instead of reciting a definition. The CBSE sample paper and marking scheme for your session show the exact design.

Practical exam: 30 marks

Titrations with KMnO4 against oxalic acid or Mohr's salt, and the identification of one cation and one anion in a given salt, are the two experiments to master. Keep your record file complete; four marks depend on it.

Revision order that works

Organic chemistry scores the most marks but is easiest to forget, so start with it and keep revising. A plan for the last four months:

1. Month 1: haloalkanes, alcohols and aldehydes together, since their reactions link up. Make one sheet of named reactions and conversions.
2. Month 2: electrochemistry and kinetics, with all numericals from the NCERT exercises and examples.
3. Month 3: solutions, coordination compounds, d and f block, amines and biomolecules.
4. Month 4: sample papers and chemistry previous year papers, timed at three hours.

Your other subjects are covered in the CBSE class 12 syllabus overview.