Encompasses organic, inorganic, and physical chemistry, including reaction mechanisms and chemical analysis, for candidates aiming for research or industrial chemistry roles.

GATE Chemistry

Official 2025 syllabus extracted from https://gate2025.iitr.ac.in/doc/2025/GATE%20_CY_2025_Syllabus.pdf

Physical Chemistry

Postulates of quantum mechanics

Operators

Time-dependent and time-independent Schrödinger equations

Born interpretation

Dirac bra-ket notation

Particle in a box: infinite and finite square wells

Tunneling

1D, 2D, 3D box

Harmonic oscillator: harmonic and anharmonic potentials

Hermite polynomials

Angular momentum operators

Rigid rotor

Hydrogen and hydrogen-like atoms

Atomic orbitals

Radial distribution function

Multi-electron atoms: orbital approximation, electron spin

Pauli exclusion principle

Slater determinants

Variation method and secular determinants

First order perturbation theory

Atomic units

Born-Oppenheimer approximation

Valence bond theory

LCAO-MO theory

Hybrid orbitals

H2+, H2 molecular orbital theory

MOT of homo- and heteronuclear diatomic molecules

Hückel approximation for annular π-electron systems

Structure

Symmetry elements and operations

Point groups and character tables

Internal coordinates and vibrational modes

Symmetry-adapted LCAO-MO

Construction of hybrid orbitals using symmetry

Group Theory

Atomic spectroscopy

Russell-Saunders coupling

Term symbols

Selection rules

Rotational spectroscopy

Vibrational spectroscopy

Electronic spectroscopy

Raman spectroscopy

Line broadening

Einstein coefficients

Transition moment integral, molar extinction coefficient, oscillator strength

NMR: gyromagnetic ratio, chemical shift, nuclear coupling

Spectroscopy

Laws of thermodynamics

Standard states

Thermochemistry

Gibbs-Helmholtz and Maxwell relations

Gibbs-Duhem equation

van't Hoff equation

Criteria of spontaneity and equilibrium

Absolute entropy

Partial molar quantities

Thermodynamics of mixing

Chemical potential

Fugacity, activity and activity coefficients

Raoult's Law and Henry's Law

Chemical equilibria

Equilibrium constant T and P dependence

Ionic mobility and conductivity

Debye-Hückel limiting law

Debye-Hückel-Onsager equation

Standard electrode potentials

Electrochemical cells

Nernst equation

Potentiometric and conductometric titrations

Phase rule

Clausius-Clapeyron equation

Phase diagrams (CO2, H2O, S)

Two-component systems

Fractional distillation

Azeotropes and eutectics

Statistical thermodynamics ensembles

Boltzmann distribution

Partition functions

Equilibrium

Elementary, parallel, opposing, consecutive reactions

Steady state approximation

Mechanisms of complex reactions

Unimolecular reactions

Potential energy surfaces

Transition state theory: Eyring equation

Kinetics of polymerization

Catalysis and enzyme catalysis

Kinetic isotope effects

Fast reaction kinetics: relaxation and flow methods

Diffusion-controlled reactions

Photochemical and photophysical kinetics

Kinetics

Physisorption and chemisorption

Langmuir, Freundlich, BET isotherms

Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism

Surface tension, viscosity

Self-assembly

Colloids, micelles, macromolecules

Surfaces and Interfaces

Inorganic Chemistry

Hydrides, halides, oxides, oxoacids, nitrides, sulfides

Boranes, carboranes, silicones, silicates

Boron nitride, borazines, phosphazenes

Allotropes of C, P, S

Industrial synthesis of main group compounds

Noble gases, pseudohalogens, interhalogens

Acid-base concepts (Lewis, Brønsted, HSAB)

Main Group Elements

Coordination chemistry: structure and isomerism

VBT, CFT, MOT

Crystal field energy diagrams

CFSE

Jahn-Teller distortion

Electronic spectra of TM complexes

Orgel and Tanabe-Sugano diagrams

Nephelauxetic effect, Racah parameter

Charge-transfer spectra

Magnetic properties

Ray-Dutt and Bailar twists

Kinetic and thermodynamic stability

Substitution and redox reactions

Metal-metal multiple bond

Transition Elements

Recovery

Periodic properties

Spectra and magnetic properties

Lanthanides and Actinides

18-electron rule

Metal-alkyl, metal-carbonyl, metal-olefin, metal-carbene complexes

Metallocenes

Fluxionality

Hydrogenation, hydroformylation

Acetic acid synthesis

Metathesis, olefin oxidation

Fischer-Tropsch reaction

Ziegler-Natta polymerization

Organometallics

Detection

Decay processes

Half-life

Fission and fusion

Radioactivity

Na+/K+ ion transport

Oxygen binding and transport

Electron transfer reactions

Nitrogen fixation

Metalloenzymes (Mg, Mo, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn)

Bioinorganic Chemistry

Crystal systems and lattices

Miller planes

Crystal packing

Crystal defects

Bragg's law

Ionic crystals

AX, AX2, ABX3 structures

Spinels

Band theory: metals and semiconductors

Solids

UV-visible, fluorescence, FTIR

NMR and ESR

Mass spectrometry

Atomic absorption spectroscopy

Mössbauer spectroscopy (Fe, Sn)

X-ray crystallography

Chromatography (GC, HPLC)

Polarography, cyclic voltammetry

Ion-selective electrodes

Thermoanalytical methods

Instrumental Methods of Analysis

Organic Chemistry

Chirality and symmetry

Absolute configurations

Relative stereochemistry with multiple stereocenters

Homotopic, enantiotopic, diastereotopic atoms/groups

Stereoselective and stereospecific synthesis

Conformational analysis of acyclic and cyclic compounds

Geometrical and optical isomerism

Atropisomerism

Neighbouring group participation

Stereochemistry

Kinetic vs thermodynamic control

Hammond's postulate

Curtin-Hammett principle

Determining mechanisms via kinetics and isotopic labeling

Hammett and Taft equations

Nucleophilic substitution (aromatic and aliphatic)

Electrophilic substitution

Addition to C=C and C=heteroatom

Elimination reactions

Carbocations, carbanions, carbenes, nitrenes, arynes, free radicals

Molecular rearrangements

Reaction Mechanisms

Alkenes, alkynes, arenes

Alcohols, phenols

Aldehydes, ketones

Carboxylic acids, esters, nitriles

Organic Synthesis

GATE Chemistry Syllabus 2025, 2026 and more: Subjects, Topics, and What to Study