JAMB Chemistry Syllabus For 2024: What is the JAMB Chemistry Syllabus?

Table of Contents

Jamb Syllabus for Biology 2024

If you’re a student preparing for the upcoming JAMB Chemistry exam in 2024, you’ve come to the right place. In this comprehensive guide, we will dive deep into the JAMB Chemistry Syllabus for 2024, providing you with insights into the topics and focus areas you need to excel in your upcoming exam.

What is the JAMB Chemistry Syllabus?

The JAMB (Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board) Syllabus for Chemistry is a valuable resource for students preparing to take the Chemistry exam as part of their JAMB assessment. This syllabus comprises a carefully curated list of topics and concepts that JAMB wants candidates to thoroughly understand before attempting the Chemistry paper. Whether you’re a science enthusiast or simply fulfilling a subject requirement, having this Chemistry syllabus is essential.

JAMB, the Unified Tertiary Examination Board, created this syllabus to ensure that candidates are well-prepared and have a clear understanding of what to expect in their Chemistry examination.

JAMB Chemistry Syllabus for 2024: Topics and Focus Areas

Let’s take a closer look at the key topics and focus areas covered in the JAMB Chemistry Syllabus for 2024:

1. Separation of Mixtures and Purification of Chemical Substance

(a) Pure and impure substances
(b) Boiling and melting points
(c) Elements, compounds, and mixtures
(d) Chemical and physical changes
(e) Separation processes: evaporation, simple and fractional distillation, sublimation, filtration, crystallization, paper and column chromatography, simple and fractional crystallization.

2. Chemical Combination

Stoichiometry, laws of definite and multiple proportions, the law of conservation of matter, Gay Lussac’s law of combining volumes, Avogadro’s law; chemical symbols, formulae, equations and their uses, relative atomic mass based on 12C=12, the mole concept, and Avogadro’s number.

3. Kinetic Theory of Matter & Gas Law

(a) An outline of the kinetic theory of matter, melting, vaporization, and reverse processes; melting and boiling explained in terms of molecular motion and Brownian movement.
(b) The laws of Boyle, Charles, Graham, and Dalton (law of partial pressure); combined gas law, molar volume and atomicity of gases

4. Atomic Structure & Bonding

(a) (i) The concept of atoms, molecules, and ions, the works of Dalton, Millikan, Rutherford, Mosely, Thompson, and Bohr. Simple hydrogen spectrum, Ionization of gases illustrating the electron as a fundamental particle of matter.
(ii) Atomic structure, electron configuration, atomic number, mass number, and isotopes; specific examples should be drawn from elements of atomic number 1 to 20. Shapes of s and p orbitals.
(b) The periodic table and periodicity of elements, presentation of the periodic table to recognize families of elements e.g., alkali metals, halogens, noble gases, and transition metals. The variation of the following properties should be noticed: ionization energy, ionic radii, electron affinity, and electronegativity.
(c) Chemical bonding: Electrovalency and covalency, the electron configuration of elements, and their tendency to attain the noble gas structure. Hydrogen bonding and metallic bonding as special types of electrovalency and covalency respectively; coordinate bond is a type of covalent bond as illustrated by complexes like [Fe(CN)6]3-, [Fe(CN)6]4-, [Cu(NH3)4]2+and [Ag(NH3)2]+; van der Waals’ forces should be mentioned as a special type of bonding forces.
(d) Shapes of simple molecules: linear ((H2, 02, C12,HCI and CO2), non-linear (H2O) and tetrahedral; (CH4)
(e) Nuclear Chemistry: (i) Radioactivity (elementary treatment only) (ii) Nuclear reactions. Simple equations, uses, and applications of natural and artificial radioactivity.

5. Air

The usual gaseous constituents – nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, carbon (IV) oxide, and the noble gases (argon and neon), the proportion of oxygen in the air e.g., by burning phosphorus or by using alkaline pyrogallol, air as a mixture, and some uses of the noble gas.

6. Water

Composition by volume: Water as a solvent, atmospheric gases dissolved in water, and their biological significance. Water is a product of the combustion of hydrogen. Hard and soft water: Temporary and permanent hardness and methods of softening hard water. Purification of town water supplies. The water of crystallization, efflorescence, deliquescence, and hygroscopy. Examples of the substances exhibiting these properties and their uses.

7. Solubility

(a) Unsaturated, saturated, and supersaturated solutions. Solubility curves and simple deductions from them, (solubility defined in terms of mole per dm3) and simple calculations.
(b) Solvents for fats, oil, and paints and the use of such solvents for the removal of stains.
(c) Suspensions and colloids: Harmattan haze and paints as examples of suspensions and fog, milk, aerosol spray, and rubber solution as examples of colloids.

8. Acids, Bases & Salt

(a) General characteristics and properties of acids, bases, and salts. Acids/base indicators, basicity of acids, normal, acidic, basic, and double salts. An acid is defined as a substance whose aqueous solution furnishes H3O+ ions or as a proton donor. Ethanoic, citric, and tartaric acids as examples of naturally occurring organic acids, alums as examples of double salts, preparation of salts by neutralization, precipitation, and action of acids on metals. Oxides and trioxocarbonate (IV) salts
(b) Qualitative comparison of the conductances of molar solutions of strong and weak acids and bases, the relationship between conductance, amount of ions present, and their relative mobilities.
(c) pH and pOH scale. pH defined as – log[H3O+]
(d) Acid/base titrations.
(e) Hydrolysis of salts: Simple examples such as NH4C1, AICI3, Na2CO3, and CH3COONa are to be mentioned.

9. Oxidation and Reduction

(a) Oxidation in terms of the addition of oxygen or removal of hydrogen.
(b) Reduction as removal of oxygen or addition of hydrogen.
(c) Oxidation and reduction in terms of electron transfer.
(d) Use of oxidation numbers. Oxidation and reduction are treated as changes in oxidation. number and use of oxidation numbers in balancing simple equations. IUPAC nomenclature of inorganic compounds.
(e) Tests for oxidizing and reducing agents.

10. Electrolysis

(a) Electrolytes and non-electrolytes. Faraday’s laws of electrolysis.
(b) Electrolysis of dilute H2SO4, aqueous CuSO4, CuC12 solution, dilute and concentrated NaC1 solutions and fused NaC1 and factors affecting discharge of ions at the electrodes.
(c) Uses of electrolysis: Purification of metals e.g. copper and production of elements and compounds e.g. A1, Na, O2, Cl2 and NaOH.
(d) Electrochemical cells: Redox series (K, Na, Ca, Mg, AI, Zn, Fe, PbII, H, Cu, Hg, Au,) half-cell reactions and electrode potentials. Simple calculations only.
(e) Corrosion as an electrolytic process, cathodic protection of metals, painting, electroplating, and coating with grease or oil as ways of preventing iron from corrosion.

11. Energy Charge

(a) Energy changes(∆H) accompanying physical and chemical changes: dissolution of substances in or reaction with water e.g. Na, NaOH,K, NH4, Cl. Endothermic (+∆H) and exothermic (-∆H) reactions.
(b) Entropy as an order-disorder phenomenon: simple illustrations like the mixing of gases and dissolution of salts.
(c) Spontaneity of reactions: ∆G0 = 0 as a criterion for equilibrium, ∆G greater or less than zero as a criterion for non-spontaneity or spontaneity.

12. Rates of Chemical Reaction

(a) Elementary treatment of the following factors which can change the rate of a chemical reaction: (i) Temperature e.g. the reaction between HCI and Na2S2O3 or Mg and HCI (ii) Concentration e.g. the reaction between HCl and Na2S2O3, HCl and marble and the iodine clock reaction, for gaseous systems, pressure may be used as a concentration term. (iii) Surface area e.g. the reaction between marble and HCI with marble in (i) powdered form (ii) lumps of the same mass. (iv) Catalyst e.g. the decomposition of H2O2 or KCIO3 in the presence or absence of MnO2
(b) Concentration/time curves.
(c) Activation energy Qualitative treatment of Arrhenius’ law and the collision theory, effect of light on some reactions. e.g. halogenation of alkanes

13. Chemical Equilibrium

Reversible reactions and factors governing the equilibrium position. Dynamic equilibrium. Le Chatelier’s principle and equilibrium constant. Simple examples include the action of steam on iron and N2O4 ⇌⇌ 2NO2. No calculation will be required.

14. Non-metals and their compounds

(a) Hydrogen: commercial production from water gas and cracking of petroleum fractions, laboratory preparation, properties uses, and hydrogen test.
(b) Halogens: Chlorine is a representative element of the halogen. Laboratory preparation, industrial preparation by electrolysis, properties, and uses, e.g., water sterilization, bleaching, manufacture of HCl, plastics, and insecticides. Hydrogen chloride and Hydrochloric acid: Preparation and properties. Chlorides and test for chlorides.
(c) Oxygen and Sulphur (i) Oxygen: Laboratory preparation, properties and uses. Commercial production from liquid air. Oxides: Acidic, basic, amphoteric and neutral, trioxygen (ozone) as an allotrope and the importance of ozone in the atmosphere. (ii) Sulphur: Uses and allotropes: preparation of allotropes is not expected. Preparation, properties, and uses of sulphur (IV) oxide, the reaction of SO2 with alkalis. Trioxosulphate (IV) acid and its salts, the effect of acids on salts of trioxosulphate (IV), Tetraoxosulphate (VI) acid: Commercial preparation (contact process only), properties as a dilute acid, an oxidizing and a dehydrating agent and uses. Test for SO42-. Hydrogen sulphide: Preparation and properties as a weak acid, reducing and precipitating agents. Test for S2-
(d) Nitrogen: (i) Laboratory preparation (ii) Production from liquid air (iii) Ammonia: Laboratory and industrial preparations (Haber Process only), properties and uses, ammonium salts and their uses, oxidation of ammonia to nitrogen (IV) oxide and trioxonitrate (V) acid. Test for NH4+ (iv) Trioxonitrate (V) acid: Laboratory preparation from ammonia; properties and uses. Trioxonitrate (V) salt-action of heat and uses. Test for NO3- (v) Oxides of nitrogen: Properties. The nitrogen cycle.
(e) Carbon: (i) Allotropes: Uses and properties (ii) Carbon(IV) oxide, Laboratory preparation, properties and uses. The action of heat on trioxocarbonate(IV) salts and test for CO32- (iii) Carbon(II) oxide: Laboratory preparation, properties including its effect on blood; sources of carbon (II) oxide to include charcoal, fire and exhaust fumes. (iv) Coal: Different types, of products obtained from the destructive distillation of wood and coal. (v) Coke: Gasification and uses. Manufacture of synthesis gas and uses.
(f) Metals and their compounds (a) General properties of metals (b) Alkali metals e.g. sodium (i) Sodium hydroxide:- Production by electrolysis of brine, its action on aluminium, zinc and lead ions. Uses including precipitation of metallic hydroxides. (ii) Sodium trioxocarbonate (IV) and sodium hydrogen trioxocarbonate (IV): Production by Solvay process, properties and uses, e.g. Na2CO3 in the manufacture of glass. (iii) Sodium chloride: its occurrence in seawater and uses, the economic importance of seawater and the recovery of sodium chloride. (c) Alkaline-earth metals, e.g. calcium; calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide and calcium trioxocarbonate (IV); Properties and uses. Preparation of Calcium oxide from seashells, the chemical composition of cement and the setting of mortar. Test for Ca2+. (d) Aluminium Purification of bauxite, electrolytic extraction, properties, and uses of aluminium and its compounds. Test for A13+ (e) Tin Extraction from its ores. Properties and uses. (f) Metals of the first transition series. Characteristic properties: (i) Electron configuration (ii) oxidation states (iii) complex ion formation (iv) formation of coloured ions.