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JEE Main Physical Chemistry Syllabus 2026(Section A)
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Units
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Topics
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SOME BASIC CONCEPTS IN CHEMISTRY
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Matter and its nature, Dalton's atomic theory, Concept of atom, molecule, element, and compound, Laws of chemical combination, Atomic and molecular masses, mole concept, molar mass, percentage composition, empirical and molecular formulae, Chemical equations, and stoichiometry.
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ATOMIC STRUCTURE
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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, the quantum mechanical model of the atom and its important features, concept of atomic orbitals as one-electron wave functions, variation of ψ and ψ 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 andHund'srule, electronic configuration of elements and extra stability of half-filled and completely filled orbitals.
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CHEMICAL BONDING AND MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
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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, and 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.
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CHEMICAL THERMODYNAMICS
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Fundamentals of thermodynamics: System and surroundings, extensive and intensive properties, state functions, entropy, 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, ΔS of the universe and ΔGof the system as criteria for spontaneity. ΔG°(Standard Gibbs energy change) and equilibrium constant.
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SOLUTIONS
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Different methods for expressing the concentration of solution - molality, molarity, mole fraction, percentage (by volume and mass both), the vapour pressure of solutions and Raoult's Law- Ideal and nonideal solutions, vapour pressure - composition, plots for ideal and non- ideal solutions, Colligative properties of dilute solutions - a relative lowering of vapour pressure, depression of freezing point, the elevation of boiling point and osmotic pressure, determination of molecular mass using colligative properties, abnormal value of molar mass, van’t Hoff factor and its significance
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EQUILIBRIUM
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Meaning of equilibrium is the concept of dynamic equilibrium. Equilibria involving physical processes: Solid-liquid, liquid-gas, gas-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 (KpandKc) and their significance, the significance of ΔG and ΔG° 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 effect, hydrolysis of salts and pH of their solutions, the solubility of sparingly soluble salts, solubility products and buffer solutions.
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REDOX REACTIONS AND ELECTROCHEMISTRY
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Electronic concepts of oxidation and reduction, redox reactions, oxidation number, rules for assigning oxidation number and balancing of redox reactions. Electrolytic and metallic conduction, conductance in electrolytic solutions, molar conductivities and their variation with concentration, Kohlrausch’s law and its applications. Electrochemical cells - Electrolytic and Galvanic cells, different types of electrodes, electrode potentials including standard electrode potential, half-cell and cell reactions, emf of a Galvanic cell and its measurement, Nernst equation and its applications, relationship between cell potential and Gibbs' energy change, dry cell and lead accumulator, fuel cells.
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CHEMICAL KINETICS
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Rate of a chemical reaction, factors affecting the rate of reactions: concentration, temperature, pressure and catalyst, elementary and complex reactions, order and molecularity of reactions, rate law, rate constant and its units, differential and integral forms of zero and first-order reactions, their characteristics and half-lives, the effect of temperature on the rate of reactions, Arrhenius theory, activation energy and its calculation, collision theory of bi-molecular gaseous reactions (no derivation).
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