Know the scope · Plan the work

NSEC syllabus 2026

A practical chapter checklist for Chemistry Olympiad preparation, with official syllabus links and progress saved on your device.

The official scope extends through Class 12, with earlier foundations and the required mathematics. Do not remove a chapter solely because it was deleted from a different board or entrance-exam syllabus.

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Physical chemistry

Mole concept & stoichiometryMoles, formulae, limiting reagents, composition and quantitative reactions.Atomic structureElectronic configuration, quantum numbers, spectra and matter waves.Gases & liquidsGas laws, molecular speeds, real-gas behaviour and intermolecular forces.Solid stateUnit cells, packing, density and crystal defects.ThermodynamicsEnergy, work, enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs energy.Chemical & ionic equilibriumEquilibrium constants, pH, buffers, hydrolysis and solubility.SolutionsConcentrations, vapour pressure, colligative properties and association.Electrochemistry & redoxBalancing, electrode potentials, Nernst equation and electrolysis.Chemical kineticsRate laws, integrated forms, temperature effects and catalysis.Surface chemistryAdsorption, catalysts and colloidal behaviour.

Inorganic chemistry

PeriodicityElectronic structure and trends in size, ionisation and electronegativity.Chemical bondingLewis structures, VSEPR, hybridisation, molecular orbitals and hydrogen bonding.Hydrogen & s-blockCharacteristic chemistry, compounds and trends.p-block elementsStructures, oxidation states, reactions and important compounds.d- and f-block elementsElectronic configurations, oxidation states, colour and magnetism.Coordination compoundsLigands, nomenclature, bonding, isomerism and magnetic properties.MetallurgyPrinciples of concentration, extraction, reduction and refining.

Organic chemistry

Organic fundamentalsNomenclature, electronic effects, intermediates, isomerism and reaction types.Purification & analysisSeparation methods and qualitative/quantitative analysis.HydrocarbonsAlkanes, alkenes, alkynes, aromatic systems and transformations.Haloalkanes & haloarenesSubstitution, elimination and structure–reactivity relationships.Alcohols, phenols & ethersPreparation, properties and reactions.Carbonyl compounds & carboxylic acidsAddition, oxidation, reduction, acidity and derivatives.Nitrogen compoundsAmines, diazonium chemistry and related reactions.BiomoleculesCarbohydrates, amino acids, proteins and nucleic acids.PolymersMonomers, polymerisation and important polymer classes.

Across the syllabus

Environmental chemistryPollutants, chemical changes in the environment and green chemistry.Chemistry in everyday lifeChemical applications, medicines, food and cleansing agents.Experimental & mathematical reasoningUnits, logarithms, graphs, measurements and interpretation of data.

How to use the checklist

Choose one topic, recall its central ideas without notes, and solve a few unfamiliar problems. If the difficulty is conceptual, return to the lesson. If it is algebra or arithmetic, repeat the calculation carefully and record the mistake. Revisit checked topics after a gap.

The grouping above is a study checklist. The linked official syllabus is the authority for detailed scope; these headings do not imply fixed chapter weightages.

Open concept lessons

Sources & verification

Exam information checked 20 October 2026. Subsequent official notices take precedence.