GATE Chemistry Syllabus
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (IIT/IISc)
- 10
- Topics
- 94
- Sub-topics
- 30
- Questions
Chemistry is one of 3 sections in the GATE syllabus. It has 10 topics and 94 sub-topics, tested in GATE Paper 1 / Subject Test, with about 30 questions (30 marks). Physical, Inorganic, Organic, Per GATE Official Notification.
Practise this section freeGATE Chemistry: topic-wise syllabus
- 1
Physical Chemistry
~1 marksAtomic, Bonding, Kinetics, Equilibrium, Per GATE Official Notification
- Atomic Structure — Bohr Model, Quantum Numbers, Electronic Configuration, Shapes
- Chemical Bonding — Ionic, Covalent, Coordinate, Hybridization, MOT, VSEPR, VBT
- States of Matter — Gas Laws, Kinetic Theory, Liquids, Solids, Crystal Structure
- Thermodynamics — First, Second, Third Law, Enthalpy, Entropy, Gibbs Free Energy
- Chemical Kinetics — Rate Law, Order, Molecularity, Arrhenius, Catalysis, Reactions
- Equilibrium — Chemical, Ionic, Le Chatelier, Acids-Bases, Salts, pH, Buffer, Solubility
- Electrochemistry — Cells, EMF, Nernst, Conductance, Electrolysis, Faraday's Laws
- 2
Organic & Inorganic
~1 marksHydrocarbons, Reactions, Periodic Table, Per GATE Official Notification
- Periodic Table — Periodicity, Properties, s/p/d/f Block Elements, Group Trends
- Coordination Compounds — Werner's Theory, IUPAC, Isomerism, Bonding, Applications
- Hydrocarbons — Alkanes, Alkenes, Alkynes, Aromatic, Nomenclature, Properties
- Functional Groups — Alcohols, Phenols, Ethers, Aldehydes, Ketones, Acids, Amines
- Biomolecules — Carbohydrates, Proteins, Amino Acids, Lipids, Nucleic Acids, Enzymes
- Polymers — Natural, Synthetic, Addition, Condensation, Rubber, Plastics, Biodegradable
- Chemistry in Everyday Life — Drugs, Food, Cleansing Agents, Dyes, Cosmetics, Petrochemicals
- 3
Mechanics (Physics)
~4 marksKinematics, Dynamics, Rotational Motion, Gravitation
- Kinematics — Motion in 1D/2D/3D, Projectile, Circular, Relative Motion
- Newton's Laws of Motion, Friction, Pseudo Forces, Constraint Motion
- Work, Energy, Power, Kinetic and Potential Energy, Conservation
- Circular Motion, Banking of Roads, Conical Pendulum, Vertical Circle
- Rotational Mechanics — Torque, Angular Momentum, Moment of Inertia, Rolling
- Gravitation — Kepler's Laws, Universal Law, Gravitational Field, Satellite
- Elasticity — Stress, Strain, Hooke's Law, Young's Modulus, Bulk Modulus, Shear Modulus
- Fluid Mechanics — Pressure, Buoyancy, Bernoulli's Theorem, Viscosity, Surface Tension
- Mechanical Waves — SHM, Oscillations, Spring, Pendulum, Wave Motion, Sound
- Properties of Matter, Units, Dimensions, Error Analysis, Significant Figures
- 4
Heat & Thermodynamics (Physics)
~4 marksHeat Transfer, Laws, Kinetic Theory
- Heat and Temperature — Scales, Thermometry, Thermal Expansion
- Calorimetry — Specific Heat, Latent Heat, Heat Capacity
- Heat Transfer — Conduction, Convection, Radiation, Thermal Conductivity
- Thermodynamics — Zeroth, First, Second, Third Law, PV Diagram, Work, Heat
- Kinetic Theory of Gases — Pressure, RMS Speed, Mean Free Path, Degrees of Freedom
- Gas Laws — Boyle's, Charles', Gay-Lussac's, Ideal Gas Equation, Real Gases
- Thermodynamic Processes — Isothermal, Adiabatic, Isobaric, Isochoric, Cyclic
- Heat Engines, Refrigerators, Carnot Cycle, Entropy
- Calorimetry, Phase Changes, Latent Heat, Triple Point, Critical Point
- Thermal Radiation, Black Body, Stefan-Boltzmann Law, Wien's Displacement Law
- 5
Optics & Modern Physics
~4 marksLight, EM Waves, Relativity, Quantum, Nuclear
- Ray Optics — Reflection, Refraction, Total Internal Reflection, Prism
- Lenses and Mirrors — Image Formation, Formulae, Power, Combination
- Optical Instruments — Microscope, Telescope, Magnifying Glass, Camera
- Wave Optics — Interference, Diffraction, Polarization, Young's Double Slit
- Electromagnetic Waves — EM Spectrum, Properties, Maxwell's Equations
- Photoelectric Effect — Einstein's Equation, Work Function, Threshold Frequency
- Bohr's Atomic Model, Hydrogen Spectrum, Atomic Structure
- Nuclear Physics — Atomic Structure, Radioactivity, Half-Life, Decay
- Modern Physics — Photoelectric Effect, X-rays, Lasers, Optical Fibers
- Semiconductor Physics — Diode, Transistor, Logic Gates, Communication
- 6
Atomic Structure & Chemical Bonding
~4 marksQuantum, Periodic Table, Bonds
- Atomic Structure — Bohr's Model, Quantum Numbers, Electronic Configuration, Shapes
- Atomic Models — Thomson, Rutherford, Bohr, Schrodinger (Qualitative), Heisenberg
- Photoelectric Effect, Wave-Particle Duality, de Broglie Wavelength, Heisenberg
- Periodic Table — Periodicity, Atomic Radius, Ionization Energy, Electronegativity
- Chemical Bonding — Ionic, Covalent, Coordinate, Hydrogen Bonding, Metallic
- Hybridization — sp, sp2, sp3, sp3d, sp3d2 with Examples (CH4, NH3, H2O)
- VSEPR Theory, VBT (Valence Bond Theory), MOT (Molecular Orbital Theory)
- Bond Parameters — Bond Length, Angle, Energy, Polarity, Dipole Moment
- Resonance, Hyperconjugation, Inductive Effect, Mesomeric Effect, Electromeric
- Lattice Energy, Born-Haber Cycle, Fajan's Rules, Polarizing Power
- 7
States of Matter & Solutions
~4 marksGas, Liquid, Solid, Solutions, Colloids
- Gas Laws — Boyle's Law, Charles' Law, Gay-Lussac's Law, Avogadro's Law, Ideal Gas
- Kinetic Molecular Theory — Postulates, Derivation of Gas Laws, RMS Speed
- Real Gases — van der Waals Equation, Critical Constants, Liquefaction
- Liquid State — Properties, Vapor Pressure, Surface Tension, Viscosity
- Solid State — Crystalline, Amorphous, Crystal Systems, Bravais Lattices
- Unit Cell, Coordination Number, Packing Efficiency, Density Calculations
- Imperfections in Solids — Point Defects, Schottky, Frenkel, F-Centers
- Solutions — Types, Concentration (Molarity, Molality, Normality, Formality)
- Colligative Properties — Lowering of VP, Elevation of BP, Depression of FP, Osmotic
- Colloids — Types, Preparation, Properties, Emulsions, Gels, Tyndall Effect
- 8
Algebra (Advanced)
~4 marksSets, Relations, Functions, Complex Numbers, P&C
- Sets, Relations, Functions, Venn Diagrams, Equivalence Relations
- Complex Numbers — Algebra, Argand Plane, Modulus-Argument, De Moivre's
- Quadratic Equations, Polynomials, Identities, Factorization, Remainder Theorem
- Sequences and Series — AP, GP, HP, Sum, Special Series, Method of Differences
- Permutations and Combinations, Binomial Theorem, Multinomial Theorem
- Probability — Conditional, Bayes, Independent Events, Random Variables
- Matrices and Determinants — Types, Operations, Inverse, Cramer's Rule
- Linear Algebra — Vector Spaces, Eigenvalues, Linear Programming, Graph Theory
- Logarithms, Antilogarithms, Partial Fractions, Induction, Mathematical Reasoning
- Number Theory — Divisibility, Modular Arithmetic, Fermat's, Wilson's Theorem
- 9
Trigonometry (Advanced)
~4 marksRatios, Identities, Equations, Inverse, Heights
- Trigonometric Ratios (sin, cos, tan, cot, sec, cosec) — Sign Conventions
- Trigonometric Identities — Pythagorean, Sum-Difference, Product-to-Sum
- Trigonometric Equations — General Solutions, Specific Solutions
- Inverse Trigonometric Functions — sin^-1, cos^-1, tan^-1, Properties
- Heights and Distances — Angle of Elevation, Depression, Problems
- Properties of Triangles — Sine Rule, Cosine Rule, Half-Angle, Napier Analogy
- Trigonometric Series — Taylor Series, Maclaurin Series for sin, cos
- Multiple and Sub-multiple Angles — sin 2θ, cos 2θ, sin 3θ, cos 3θ
- Conditional Trigonometric Identities, Maxima and Minima
- Heights and Distances — Bearing, Compass, Survey Problems, Real-World Applications
- 10
Coordinate Geometry (Advanced)
~4 marks2D/3D, Conics, Vectors, Transformations
- Straight Lines — Slope, Equation, Distance, Angle Between Lines, Family of Lines
- Circles — Standard Form, General Form, Tangent, Normal, Chord of Contact, Pole-Polar
- Conic Sections — Parabola, Ellipse, Hyperbola (Standard Forms, Focus, Directrix, Eccentricity)
- 3D Coordinate Geometry — Distance, Section Formula, Direction Cosines, Ratios
- Plane and Line in 3D — Equation, Angle, Distance, Symmetric Form
- Sphere, Cone, Cylinder — Equations, Tangent Plane, Generator, Curved Surface
- Vectors — Types, Addition, Subtraction, Dot, Cross, Triple Product
- Vector Algebra — Position Vector, Section Formula, Projection, Resolution
- Coordinate Transformations — Translation, Rotation, Reflection, Scaling
- Locus, Curve Tracing, Parametric Equations, Applications to Motion
Frequently asked questions
What topics are in the GATE Chemistry syllabus?
Chemistry for GATE has 10 topics: Physical Chemistry, Organic & Inorganic, Mechanics (Physics), Heat & Thermodynamics (Physics), Optics & Modern Physics, Atomic Structure & Chemical Bonding, States of Matter & Solutions, Algebra (Advanced), Trigonometry (Advanced) and Coordinate Geometry (Advanced), with 94 sub-topics in all.
How many questions come from Chemistry in GATE?
About 30 questions (30 marks) in GATE Paper 1 / Subject Test. Always check the latest notification, as numbers can change.
Which Chemistry topics matter most for GATE?
By weightage in the syllabus data: Mechanics (Physics) (~4 marks), Heat & Thermodynamics (Physics) (~4 marks), Optics & Modern Physics (~4 marks).
How do I practise GATE Chemistry on Topicly?
Pick a topic above and study it your way — step-by-step chat, a quiz, a formula sheet or a voice call with Sia. Topicly tracks each sub-topic so you know what's left. It's free to start.
Compiled from official notifications for study purposes. Always confirm with the conducting body's latest notification.
