CSIR NET Chemical Science Syllabus 2026: PDF Download, Exam Pattern, Unit-Wise Topics

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has released the official Joint CSIR UGC NET December 2026 Information Bulletin. Online applications remain open until 5 November 2026, with the Computer-Based Test (CBT) scheduled for 19, 22, and 27 December 2026 across examination centers nationwide.

Under the current NTA evaluation framework, candidates qualify under three distinct categories:

1. Award of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and appointment as Assistant Professor

2. Appointment as Assistant Professor and admission to Ph.D.

3. Admission to Ph.D. only

The Chemical Sciences paper (Subject Code: 701) covers four core branches: Inorganic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Interdisciplinary Topics. Candidates must prepare for subject-specific questions in Parts B and C alongside General Aptitude in Part A.

CSIR NET Chemical Science Syllabus PDF

CSIR NET Chemical Science Syllabus PDF

CSIR NET Chemical Science Exam Pattern & Marking Scheme 2026

The CSIR NET Chemistry paper is conducted as a single-paper Computer-Based Test (CBT) of 3 hours (180 minutes) carrying 200 marks. The paper presents 120 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), out of which candidates must attempt 75 questions.

• Candidates can answer a maximum of 75 questions in total across all three sections.

• If you attempt more than the specified limit in any section, the computer evaluation system scores only the first set of attempted responses up to the allowed limit.

• Unattempted questions carry zero penalty deduction.

• For a cross-subject comparison with Physical, Life, or Mathematical Sciences, refer to the complete CSIR NET Exam Pattern.

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CSIR NET Chemical Science Syllabus: Unit-Wise Breakdown

The subject-specific syllabus for Part B and Part C is structured into four primary branches by CSIR HRDG: Inorganic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Interdisciplinary Topics.

1. Inorganic Chemistry

• Chemical Periodicity: Periodic table trends, electronic configurations, ionization energy, electron affinity, and electronegativity variations across elements and groups.

• CSIR NET Chemical Science Syllabus: Unit-Wise Breakdown

  The subject-specific syllabus for Part B and Part C is structured into four primary branches by CSIR HRDG: Inorganic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Interdisciplinary Topics.

  1. Inorganic Chemistry

  • Chemical Periodicity: Periodic table trends, electronic configurations, ionization energy, electron affinity, and electronegativity variations across elements and groups.

  • Structure and Bonding: Homonuclear and heteronuclear diatomic molecules, VSEPR theory and molecular shapes, MO and VB descriptions, and bond parameters.

  • Acids and Bases: Concepts of acids and bases, Hard-Soft Acid-Base (HSAB) principle, and non-aqueous solvent reactions (liquid ammonia, sulfuric acid, HF).

  • Main Group Elements and Compounds: Allotropy, synthesis, structures, bonding models, and industrial applications of s- and p-block compounds.

  • Transition Elements & Coordination Chemistry: Crystal Field Theory (CFT), Ligand Field Theory (LFT), spectral and magnetic properties, Tanabe-Sugano diagrams, Jahn-Teller distortion, and reaction mechanisms (substitution, electron transfer, trans-effect).

  • Inner Transition Elements: Spectral and magnetic characteristics of lanthanides and actinides, lanthanide contraction, redox chemistry, and separation techniques.

  • Organometallic Compounds: 18-electron rule, synthesis, structure, and bonding of metal carbonyls, nitrosyls, alkyls, and alkene complexes. Homogeneous catalysis: hydrogenation (Wilkinson catalyst), hydroformylation, Wacker process, Monsanto acetic acid process, and olefin metathesis.

  • Cages and Metal Clusters: Boranes, carboranes, metallaboranes, Wade's rules, isopoly and heteropoly acids, and metal-metal multiple bonds.

  • Analytical Chemistry: Separation techniques (chromatography, solvent extraction), electroanalytical methods (polarography, cyclic voltammetry), and thermoanalytical methods (TGA, DTA, DSC).

  • Bioinorganic Chemistry: Metalloproteins and metalloenzymes (hemoglobin, myoglobin, hemocyanin, cytochromes, ferredoxin, carbonic anhydrase, nitrogenase), photosystems, electron transfer, and metal complexes in medicine (cisplatin).

  • Characterization Techniques: Structure elucidation using IR, Raman, NMR, EPR, Mössbauer, UV-Vis, NQR, mass spectrometry, and XPS.

  • Nuclear Chemistry: Nuclear reactions, fission, fusion, radioanalytical methods, neutron activation analysis, and tracer applications.
    

  2. Physical Chemistry

  • Basic Quantum Mechanics: Postulates of quantum mechanics, operators, Schrödinger equation, particle in a box (1D and 3D), harmonic oscillator, rigid rotor, and hydrogen atom.

  • Approximate Methods: Variational theorem, first- and second-order time-independent perturbation theory, and application to helium atom.

  • Atomic Structure and Spectroscopy: Term symbols, Russell-Saunders coupling, many-electron systems, and antisymmetry principle.

  • Chemical Bonding in Diatomics: MO and VB theories, Hückel molecular orbital theory for conjugated -systems (ethylene, butadiene, benzene).

  • Chemical Applications of Group Theory: Symmetry elements, operations, point groups, character tables, reducible and irreducible representations, and vibrational selection rules.

  • Molecular Spectroscopy: Rotational spectra of diatomic molecules, vibrational (IR and Raman) spectra, selection rules, anharmonicity, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) basics.

  • Chemical Thermodynamics: First, second, and third laws of thermodynamics, thermodynamic state functions, Maxwell relations, Joule-Thomson effect, partial molar quantities, and chemical potential.

  • Statistical Thermodynamics: Ensembles, phase space, Boltzmann distribution, partition functions (translational, rotational, vibrational, electronic), thermodynamic functions from partition functions, and Maxwell-Boltzmann, Bose-Einstein, and Fermi-Dirac statistics.

  • Electrochemistry: Nernst equation, electrochemical cells, Debye-Hückel limiting law, activity coefficients, ion-solvent interactions, electrolytic conductivity, and fuel cells.

  • Chemical Kinetics: Empirical rate laws, order and molecularity, temperature dependence (Arrhenius equation), steady-state approximation, opposing, consecutive, and chain reactions. Theories of reaction rates (collision theory, transition state theory), and photochemical kinetics.

  • Colloids and Surface Chemistry: Colloidal stability, double layer, adsorption isotherms (Freundlich, Langmuir, BET), surface tension, and heterogeneous catalysis kinetics (Langmuir-Hinshelwood).

  • Solid State Chemistry: Crystal systems, Bravais lattices, Miller indices, Bragg's law, X-ray diffraction, defects in solids, and band theory (metals, insulators, semiconductors).

  • Polymer Chemistry: Number-average and weight-average molar masses, polydispersity index, and mechanisms and kinetics of polymerization.

  • Data Analysis: Errors, precision, accuracy, standard deviation, linear regression, and correlation coefficients.

  3. Organic Chemistry

  • IUPAC Nomenclature: Systematic naming of acyclic, cyclic, and fused organic molecules, including regio- and stereoisomers.

  • Principles of Stereochemistry: Chirality, optical activity, enantiomers, diastereomers, conformational analysis (cyclohexanes, decalins), asymmetric induction, enantiomeric excess, and chiral resolution.

  • Aromaticity: Hückel's (4n+2) rule, benzenoid and non-benzenoid aromatic compounds, annulenes, and antiaromatic systems.

  • Organic Reactive Intermediates: Generation, stability, and reactivity of carbocations, carbanions, free radicals, carbenes, nitrenes, and benzynes.

  • Organic Reaction Mechanisms: Nucleophilic and electrophilic substitution (SN1, SN2, SNi, SEAr), addition, and elimination (E1, E2, E1cB) reactions.

  • Named Reactions & Rearrangements: Aldol, Perkin, Stobbe, Dieckmann, Wittig, Michael addition, Robinson annulation, Beckmann, Baeyer-Villiger, Hofmann, Curtius, Pinacol-pinacolone, and Favorskii rearrangements.

  • Organic Transformations and Reagents: Oxidations (PCC, Jones, Swern, OsO4, mCPBA), reductions (NaBH4, LiAlH4, DIBAL-H, Birch), organometallic reagents (organolithium, Grignard, organocuprate, organozinc), and transition-metal couplings (Heck, Suzuki, Sonogashira, Stille).

  • Concepts in Organic Synthesis: Retrosynthetic analysis, disconnections, synthons, protecting group strategies, umpolung, and convergent vs linear pathways.

  • Asymmetric Synthesis: Chiral auxiliaries, substrate and reagent control, Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation, and asymmetric dihydroxylation.

  • Pericyclic Reactions and Photochemistry: Frontier Molecular Orbital (FMO) method, Woodward-Hoffmann rules, electrocyclic reactions, cycloadditions ([4+2] Diels-Alder), sigmatropic rearrangements (Cope, Claisen). Norrish Type I and Type II photochemical processes.

  • Heterocyclic Compounds: Synthesis, aromaticity, and reactivity of furan, pyrrole, thiophene, pyridine, indole, quinoline, and isoquinoline.

  • Chemistry of Natural Products: Carbohydrates, amino acids, peptides, proteins, nucleic acids, steroids, alkaloids, and terpenoids.

  • Spectroscopic Structure Elucidation: Identification of organic compounds through integrated analysis of UV-Vis, IR, $^1H$-NMR, $^{13}C$-NMR, and mass spectrometry (MS).

  4. Interdisciplinary Chemistry

  • Chemistry in Nanoscience and Technology: Synthesis of nanomaterials (sol-gel, chemical vapor deposition), characterization, quantum dots, carbon nanotubes, and nano-catalysis.

  • Catalysis and Green Chemistry: Twelve principles of green chemistry, atom economy, environmentally benign solvents (water, ionic liquids, supercritical CO2), and organocatalysis.

  • Medicinal Chemistry: Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, drug-target interactions, and structure-activity relationships (SAR).

  • Supramolecular Chemistry: Non-covalent bonding, host-guest complexes, crown ethers, cryptands, calixarenes, and self-assembly.

  • Environmental Chemistry: Atmospheric chemistry, photochemical smog, greenhouse gases, water contamination, and heavy metal remediation.

  Part A General Aptitude Syllabus for Chemistry Aspirants

  Part A provides 30 marks to your aggregate score. Scoring well in this common section creates a reliable buffer toward qualifying cutoffs:

  • Numerical Ability: Ratios, proportions, percentages, averages, time and distance, work calculations, and elementary probability.

  • Logical Reasoning: Series completion, coding-decoding, Venn diagrams, family relations, syllogisms, and deduction puzzles.

  • Graphical Interpretation: Line charts, bar graphs, coordinate diagrams, and data interpretation tables.

  High-Weightage Chemistry Topics for Part C Preparation

  Part C carries 100 marks (50% of the entire paper), where candidates attempt 25 questions out of 60 options. Prioritize these high-yield units:

  1. Coordination & Organometallic Chemistry (Inorganic): Crystal Field Theory, reaction mechanisms, and catalytic cycles account for substantial Part C weightage.

  2. Reagents, Named Reactions & Pericyclics (Organic): Modern coupling reactions, stereoselective synthesis, and pericyclic orbital symmetries form frequent analytical questions.

  3. Spectroscopic Identification (Combined): Interpreting combined IR, $^1H$-NMR, $^{13}C$-NMR, and mass spectrometry data yields high scoring consistency.

  4. Quantum Chemistry & Chemical Kinetics (Physical): Particle in a box, perturbation theory, rate laws, and transition state theory require structured calculation practice.

  5. Chemical Thermodynamics & Group Theory (Physical): Character tables, vibrational modes, Maxwell equations, and statistical partition functions deliver predictable scoring patterns.

• Acids and Bases: Concepts of acids and bases, Hard-Soft Acid-Base (HSAB) principle, and non-aqueous solvent reactions (liquid ammonia, sulfuric acid, HF).

• Main Group Elements and Compounds: Allotropy, synthesis, structures, bonding models, and industrial applications of s- and p-block compounds.

• Transition Elements & Coordination Chemistry: Crystal Field Theory (CFT), Ligand Field Theory (LFT), spectral and magnetic properties, Tanabe-Sugano diagrams, Jahn-Teller distortion, and reaction mechanisms (substitution, electron transfer, trans-effect).

• Inner Transition Elements: Spectral and magnetic characteristics of lanthanides and actinides, lanthanide contraction, redox chemistry, and separation techniques.

• Organometallic Compounds: 18-electron rule, synthesis, structure, and bonding of metal carbonyls, nitrosyls, alkyls, and alkene complexes. Homogeneous catalysis: hydrogenation (Wilkinson catalyst), hydroformylation, Wacker process, Monsanto acetic acid process, and olefin metathesis.

• Cages and Metal Clusters: Boranes, carboranes, metallaboranes, Wade's rules, isopoly and heteropoly acids, and metal-metal multiple bonds.

• Analytical Chemistry: Separation techniques (chromatography, solvent extraction), electroanalytical methods (polarography, cyclic voltammetry), and thermoanalytical methods (TGA, DTA, DSC).

• Bioinorganic Chemistry: Metalloproteins and metalloenzymes (hemoglobin, myoglobin, hemocyanin, cytochromes, ferredoxin, carbonic anhydrase, nitrogenase), photosystems, electron transfer, and metal complexes in medicine (cisplatin).

• Characterization Techniques: Structure elucidation using IR, Raman, NMR, EPR, Mössbauer, UV-Vis, NQR, mass spectrometry, and XPS.

• Nuclear Chemistry: Nuclear reactions, fission, fusion, radioanalytical methods, neutron activation analysis, and tracer applications.
  

2. Physical Chemistry

• Basic Quantum Mechanics: Postulates of quantum mechanics, operators, Schrödinger equation, particle in a box (1D and 3D), harmonic oscillator, rigid rotor, and hydrogen atom.

• Approximate Methods: Variational theorem, first- and second-order time-independent perturbation theory, and application to helium atom.

• Atomic Structure and Spectroscopy: Term symbols, Russell-Saunders coupling, many-electron systems, and antisymmetry principle.

• Chemical Bonding in Diatomics: MO and VB theories, Hückel molecular orbital theory for conjugated -systems (ethylene, butadiene, benzene).

• Chemical Applications of Group Theory: Symmetry elements, operations, point groups, character tables, reducible and irreducible representations, and vibrational selection rules.

• Molecular Spectroscopy: Rotational spectra of diatomic molecules, vibrational (IR and Raman) spectra, selection rules, anharmonicity, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) basics.

• Chemical Thermodynamics: First, second, and third laws of thermodynamics, thermodynamic state functions, Maxwell relations, Joule-Thomson effect, partial molar quantities, and chemical potential.

• Statistical Thermodynamics: Ensembles, phase space, Boltzmann distribution, partition functions (translational, rotational, vibrational, electronic), thermodynamic functions from partition functions, and Maxwell-Boltzmann, Bose-Einstein, and Fermi-Dirac statistics.

• Electrochemistry: Nernst equation, electrochemical cells, Debye-Hückel limiting law, activity coefficients, ion-solvent interactions, electrolytic conductivity, and fuel cells.

• Chemical Kinetics: Empirical rate laws, order and molecularity, temperature dependence (Arrhenius equation), steady-state approximation, opposing, consecutive, and chain reactions. Theories of reaction rates (collision theory, transition state theory), and photochemical kinetics.

• Colloids and Surface Chemistry: Colloidal stability, double layer, adsorption isotherms (Freundlich, Langmuir, BET), surface tension, and heterogeneous catalysis kinetics (Langmuir-Hinshelwood).

• Solid State Chemistry: Crystal systems, Bravais lattices, Miller indices, Bragg's law, X-ray diffraction, defects in solids, and band theory (metals, insulators, semiconductors).

• Polymer Chemistry: Number-average and weight-average molar masses, polydispersity index, and mechanisms and kinetics of polymerization.

• Data Analysis: Errors, precision, accuracy, standard deviation, linear regression, and correlation coefficients.

3. Organic Chemistry

• IUPAC Nomenclature: Systematic naming of acyclic, cyclic, and fused organic molecules, including regio- and stereoisomers.

• Principles of Stereochemistry: Chirality, optical activity, enantiomers, diastereomers, conformational analysis (cyclohexanes, decalins), asymmetric induction, enantiomeric excess, and chiral resolution.

• Aromaticity: Hückel's (4n+2) rule, benzenoid and non-benzenoid aromatic compounds, annulenes, and antiaromatic systems.

• Organic Reactive Intermediates: Generation, stability, and reactivity of carbocations, carbanions, free radicals, carbenes, nitrenes, and benzynes.

• Organic Reaction Mechanisms: Nucleophilic and electrophilic substitution (SN1, SN2, SNi, SEAr), addition, and elimination (E1, E2, E1cB) reactions.

• Named Reactions & Rearrangements: Aldol, Perkin, Stobbe, Dieckmann, Wittig, Michael addition, Robinson annulation, Beckmann, Baeyer-Villiger, Hofmann, Curtius, Pinacol-pinacolone, and Favorskii rearrangements.

• Organic Transformations and Reagents: Oxidations (PCC, Jones, Swern, OsO4, mCPBA), reductions (NaBH4, LiAlH4, DIBAL-H, Birch), organometallic reagents (organolithium, Grignard, organocuprate, organozinc), and transition-metal couplings (Heck, Suzuki, Sonogashira, Stille).

• Concepts in Organic Synthesis: Retrosynthetic analysis, disconnections, synthons, protecting group strategies, umpolung, and convergent vs linear pathways.

• Asymmetric Synthesis: Chiral auxiliaries, substrate and reagent control, Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation, and asymmetric dihydroxylation.

• Pericyclic Reactions and Photochemistry: Frontier Molecular Orbital (FMO) method, Woodward-Hoffmann rules, electrocyclic reactions, cycloadditions ([4+2] Diels-Alder), sigmatropic rearrangements (Cope, Claisen). Norrish Type I and Type II photochemical processes.

• Heterocyclic Compounds: Synthesis, aromaticity, and reactivity of furan, pyrrole, thiophene, pyridine, indole, quinoline, and isoquinoline.

• Chemistry of Natural Products: Carbohydrates, amino acids, peptides, proteins, nucleic acids, steroids, alkaloids, and terpenoids.

• Spectroscopic Structure Elucidation: Identification of organic compounds through integrated analysis of UV-Vis, IR, $^1H$-NMR, $^{13}C$-NMR, and mass spectrometry (MS).

4. Interdisciplinary Chemistry

• Chemistry in Nanoscience and Technology: Synthesis of nanomaterials (sol-gel, chemical vapor deposition), characterization, quantum dots, carbon nanotubes, and nano-catalysis.

• Catalysis and Green Chemistry: Twelve principles of green chemistry, atom economy, environmentally benign solvents (water, ionic liquids, supercritical CO2), and organocatalysis.

• Medicinal Chemistry: Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, drug-target interactions, and structure-activity relationships (SAR).

• Supramolecular Chemistry: Non-covalent bonding, host-guest complexes, crown ethers, cryptands, calixarenes, and self-assembly.

• Environmental Chemistry: Atmospheric chemistry, photochemical smog, greenhouse gases, water contamination, and heavy metal remediation.

Part A General Aptitude Syllabus for Chemistry Aspirants

Part A provides 30 marks to your aggregate score. Scoring well in this common section creates a reliable buffer toward qualifying cutoffs:

• Numerical Ability: Ratios, proportions, percentages, averages, time and distance, work calculations, and elementary probability.

• Logical Reasoning: Series completion, coding-decoding, Venn diagrams, family relations, syllogisms, and deduction puzzles.

• Graphical Interpretation: Line charts, bar graphs, coordinate diagrams, and data interpretation tables.

High-Weightage Chemistry Topics for Part C Preparation

Part C carries 100 marks (50% of the entire paper), where candidates attempt 25 questions out of 60 options. Prioritize these high-yield units:

1. Coordination & Organometallic Chemistry (Inorganic): Crystal Field Theory, reaction mechanisms, and catalytic cycles account for substantial Part C weightage.

2. Reagents, Named Reactions & Pericyclics (Organic): Modern coupling reactions, stereoselective synthesis, and pericyclic orbital symmetries form frequent analytical questions.

3. Spectroscopic Identification (Combined): Interpreting combined IR, $^1H$-NMR, $^{13}C$-NMR, and mass spectrometry data yields high scoring consistency.

4. Quantum Chemistry & Chemical Kinetics (Physical): Particle in a box, perturbation theory, rate laws, and transition state theory require structured calculation practice.

5. Chemical Thermodynamics & Group Theory (Physical): Character tables, vibrational modes, Maxwell equations, and statistical partition functions deliver predictable scoring patterns.

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