CBSE Class 12th Chemistry Syllabus: Updated Syllabus, Important Chapters, Marks Distribution, and Practical Exam
Content Curator | Updated On - Oct 31, 2025
CBSE class 12th chemistry syllabus has been published by official sources. Questions are asked from two sections of the syllabus: Inorganic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry. There are 5 chapters each in both sections. Some insights about the CBSE class 12 chemistry syllabus are as follows:
- The important chapters to be covered under the theoretical syllabus include Solutions, Coordination Compounds, Electrochemistry, Chemical Kinetics, Amines, Biomolecules, etc.
- For the practical exam, Surface Chemistry, Chemical Kinetics Thermochemistry, Electrochemistry, Chromatography, etc are very essential.
- The marks distribution for the theory and practical exams is 70:30.
If we compare the syllabus with the previous year, then we can observe that there are certain changes. A few chapters have been eliminated from the syllabus. The below table shows the chapters which are omitted from the 2024-25 chemistry syllabus:
| Part | CBSE class 12 Chemistry syllabus 2024-25 Deleted Portion |
|---|---|
| Organic Chemistry | The Solid State |
| Surface Chemistry | |
| General Principles and Processes of Isolation of Elements | |
| The p-Block Elements | |
| Inorganic Chemistry | Polymers |
| Chemistry in Everyday Life |
CBSE Class 12th Chemistry Syllabus 2024-25
CBSE class 12th chemistry syllabus 2024-25 includes organic and inorganic chemistry. The total marks allotted for the theoretical exam is 70. Given below in this table are the important chapters and their marks:
| Inorganic Chemistry Chapter | Marks | Organic Chemistry Chapter | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solutions | 7 | Coordination Compounds | 6 |
| Electrochemistry | 9 | Alcohols, Phenols, and Ethers | 6 |
| Chemical Kinetics | 7 | Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids | 8 |
| D -and F-Block Elements | 7 | Amines | 6 |
| Coordination Compounds | 7 | Biomolecules | 7 |
CBSE Class 12th Chemistry Syllabus Chapter Wise
The detailed chapter-wise syllabus according to CBSE class 12 exam pattern is given below in the table:
| Unit | Topic | Chapters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solid state | Classification Of Solids Based On Different Binding Forces-Molecular, Ionic, Covalent, and Metallic Solids, Crystalline, and Non-Crystalline Solids, Two Dimensional And Three Dimensional Crystal Lattice And Unit Cells, Packing Efficiency, Calculate Density Of Unit Cell, Packing Efficiency In Solid, Vacancies, Number Of Cells Per Unit In Cubic Unit Cell, etc. |
| 2 | Solution | Type of Solution, Expressing the Concentration of Solutions Formed from Solids in Liquids, Solubility of Gases in Liquids, Solid Solution, Atomic Number Property-Relative Pressure Of Vapour Pressure, Raoult’s Law. |
| 3 | Electrochemistry | Oxidation-reduction reactions, Specific And Molar Conductivity, Change In Conductivity Due To Change In Concentration, Conductivity In Electrolytic Solution, Kohlrausch’s Law, Galvanic Isolation And Its Laws, Dry Cell, Galvanic Cell, Relationship Between Gibb’s Free Energy And Change In EMF Of A Cell.Reaction Velocity-Average And Instantaneous, Factors Affecting Reaction Velocity- Concentration, Temperature, Catalyst, Order Of Reaction And Molecularity, Velocity Law And Specific Rate Constant, Integrated Velocity Equation And Half-Life. |
| 4 | D and F-block elements | Basic Introduction, Electronic Configuration, Characteristics, and Availability Of Transition Metals, General Trend In Properties Of First Series Of Transition Metals, Metallic Properties, Oxidation State, Catalyst Properties, Preparation, and Properties of K2Cr2O7 and KMnO4. Group 15 Elements-Basic Introduction, Electronic Configuration, Oxidation State, Availability, General Trends in Physical And Chemical Properties, Preparation Of Nitrogen, Properties And Applications, Preparation And Application Of Halides, etc. Group 16 Elements-Basic Introduction, Electronic Configuration, Oxidation State, Availability, General Trends in Physical & Chemical Properties, Preparation of Dioxygen, Properties & Applications, Preparation & Application of Sulphuric Acid, etc.Group 17 Elements-Basic Introduction, Electronic Configuration, Oxidation State, Availability, General Trends in Physical And Chemical Properties, Preparation Of Chlorine And Hydrochloric Acid, Properties, and Applications.Group 18 Elements-Basic Introduction, Electronic Configuration, Oxidation State, Availability, General Trend in Physical And Chemical Properties, Application |
| 5 | Coordination Compounds | Introduction, Ligands, Coordination Number, Magnetic Properties Of Coordination Compound, IUPAC Nomenclature Rules Of Coordination Compounds, Bond, Werner Theory, VBT And CFT Structure And Stereoscopic Isomerism, Importance Of Co-Ordination Compound In Extraction And Qualitative Analysis Of Metals And In Biological System |
| 6 | Haloalkanes and Haloarenes | Haloalkane- Nomenclature, Nature of C-X Bond, Physical & Chemical Properties, Mechanism of Substitution Reactions, Polar Rotation Haloarene- Nature of C-X Bond, Substitution Reactions, Dichloromethane, Trichloroethane, Tetrachloromethane, Iodoform, Freons, and DDT Usage and Effect On Environment |
| 7 | Alcohols, Phenols, and Ethers | Alcohol- Nomenclature, Method Of Preparation, Physical & Chemical Properties, Identification Of Primary, Secondary And Tertiary Alcohol, Dehydration Of Alcohol, Uses Of Methanol And Ethanol Phenol- Nomenclature, Method Of Preparation, Physical & Chemical Properties, Acidic Nature Of Phenol, Electron Substitution Reaction, Application Of PhenolEther- Nomenclature, Method Of Preparation, Physical & Chemical Properties, Application |
| 8 | Aldehydes, Ketones, and Carboxylic Acids | Aldehyde & Ketone- Nomenclature, Nature of Carbonyl Group, Method of Preparation, Physical & Chemical Properties, Nucleophilic Addition Reactions of Aldehydes And Ketones, Aldehyde’s Alpha Hydrogen Activity, ApplicationCarboxylic Acids- Nomenclature, Acidic Nature, Method of Preparation, Physical & Chemical Properties, Application |
| 9 | Amines (Organic Compounds containing Nitrogen) | Amines- Nomenclature, Classification, Structure, Method of Preparation, Physical & Chemical Properties, Identification of Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Amines, and Cyanide and isocyanides. |
| 10 | Biomolecules | Carbohydrate- Classification (Aldose And Ketose), Monosaccharide (Glucose And Fructose), D-L Configuration, Oligosaccharide (Sucrose, Lactose, Maltose), Polysaccharide (Starch, Cellulose, Glycogen), ImportanceProtein-Primary Introduction Of Amino Acid, Peptide Bond, Polypeptide, Protein, Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, and Quaternary Structure Of Protein, Deformation Of Proteins, Enzymes, HormonesVitamin- Classification And FunctionNucleic acid - DNA and RNA |
CBSE Class 12 Chemistry Practical Exam Syllabus
The practical section of the CBSE class 12 chemistry syllabus contains 30 marks. The most important topics for studying include surface chemistry, chemical kinetics, thermochemistry, electrochemistry, etc. The table below highlights such important topics and their sub-topics:
| Topics | Sub-topics |
|---|---|
| Surface Chemistry | Preparation of one lyophilic and one lyophobic sol Lyophilic sol – starch, egg albumin and gum Lyophobic sol – aluminium hydroxide, ferric hydroxide, arsenous sulphide. Dialysis of sol-prepared in (a) above. Study of the role of emulsifying agents in stabilizing the emulsion of different oils. |
| Chemical Kinetics | Effect of concentration and temperature on the rate of reaction between Sodium Thiosulphate and Hydrochloric acid. Study of reaction rates of any one of the following: Reaction of Iodide ion with Hydrogen Peroxide at room temperature using different concentrations of Iodide ions. Reaction between Potassium Iodate, (KIO3) and Sodium Sulphite: (Na2SO3) using starch solution as an indicator (clock reaction). |
| Thermochemistry | Enthalpy of dissolution of Copper Sulphate or Potassium Nitrate. Enthalpy of neutralization of strong acid (HCl) and strong base (NaOH). Determination of enthalpy change during interaction (Hydrogen bond formation) between Acetone and Chloroform. |
| Electrochemistry | Variation of cell potential in Zn/Zn2+|| Cu2+/Cu with change in concentration of electrolytes (CuSO4 or ZnSO4) at room temperature. |
| Chromatography | Separation of pigments from extracts of leaves and flowers by paper chromatography and determination of Rf values. Separation of constituents present in an inorganic mixture containing two cations only (constituents having large differences in Rf values to be provided). |
| Preparation of Inorganic Compounds | Preparation of double salt of Ferrous Ammonium Sulphate or Potash Alum. Preparation of Potassium Ferric Oxalate. |
| Preparation of Organic Compounds | Preparation of any one of the following compounds Acetanilide Di -benzalAcetonep-Nitroacetanilide Aniline yellow or 2 – Naphthol Aniline dye. |
| Tests for the functional groups present in organic compounds | Unsaturation, alcoholic, phenolic, aldehydic, ketonic, carboxylic and amino (Primary)groups. |
| Characteristic tests of carbohydrates, fats and proteins in pure samples and their detection in given foodstuffs. | - |
| Determination of concentration/ molarity of KMnO4 solution by titrating it against a standard solution of | Oxalic acid Ferrous Ammonium Sulphate(Students will be required to prepare standard solutions by weighing themselves). |
| Qualitative analysis | Determination of one anion and one cation in a given salt: Cation: Pb2+, Cu2+ As3+, Aℓ3+ , Fe3+, Mn2+, Zn2+, Ni2+, Ca2+, Sr2+, Ba2+, Mg2+, NH4+ Anions: (CO3)2- , S2- , (SO3)2-, (NO2)- , (SO4)2- , Cℓ- , Br- , I- , (PO4)3- , (C2O4)2- , CH3COO- , NO3- |
CBSE Class 12 Chemistry Practical Marks Evaluation
It is very important to understand the mark’s evaluation process in the practical examination to score well. The below table shows the different marks evaluation parameters for CBSE class 12th chemistry practical syllabus:
| Parameters | Marks |
|---|---|
| Volumetric analysis | 08 |
| Salt analysis | 08 |
| Content-Based Experiment | 06 |
| Project Work | 04 |
| Class record and viva | 04 |
| Total marks | 30 |
CBSE Class 12th Chemistry Question Paper Design
| Domain | Total Marks | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Remembering and Understanding: Exhibit memory of previously learned material by recalling facts, terms, basic concepts, and answers. Demonstrate understanding of facts and ideas by organizing, comparing, translating, interpreting, giving descriptions and stating main ideas. | 28 | 40 |
| Applying: Solve problems in new situations by applying acquired knowledge, facts, techniques, and rules differently | 21 | 30 |
| Analysing, Evaluating and Creating: Examine and break information into parts by identifying motives or causes. Make inferences and find evidence to support generalizations. Present and defend opinions by making judgments about information, validity of ideas or quality of work based on a set of criteria. Compile information together differently by combining elements in a new pattern or proposing alternative solutions | 21 | 30 |
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.