Most scoring topics in JEE Mains Chemistry: Gaseous State, Chemical Kinetics, Reactions of Benzene

By Aman Goel

Chemistry is a subject that is generally ignored by JEE aspirants. The argument given is that the subject involves a lot of memorization. However, if the subject is studied in the right way, one will realize that most of the concepts in this subject are quite intuitive and logical. All it takes is the right understanding of the fundamentals.

JEE Chemistry syllabus is divided into 3 broad units:

• Physical Chemistry: This covers concepts about the fundamental unit of everything -  atom. Many other important topics like Chemical Kinetics, Thermodynamics and Electrochemistry are also a part of Physical Chemistry.
• Organic Chemistry: This is all about Carbon and its compounds. There are lots of interest mysteries of Carbon and organic chemistry uncovers them.
• Inorganic Chemistry: Inorganic chemistry is about the way elements other than Carbon react and the results of these reactions.

Chemistry questions asked in JEE Mains require a balance of analytical and memorization skills. For instance, Physical chemistry questions are generally purely analytical, inorganic chemistry questions are more towards memorization side while organic chemistry questions often form a balance between the two.

There are about 25 - 30 chapters in the JEE Main Chemistry syllabus. Each of these chapters is important from the JEE point of view. Some are tough, some are easy. Some are asked often, some aren’t. Students who are aiming for top rank in JEE Mains should aim for those chapters that are most scoring. The list below talks about some of the most scoring topics in JEE Mains chemistry:

• Gaseous State: This chapter revolves around the famous gas equation (PV = nRT) and its variations. As a result, it is quite easy to solve the problems of this chapter. All that is required is the ability to quickly read the problem and visualize the scenario. The New Pattern Textbook of Physical Chemistry for Competitions (JEE Main & Advanced) by OP Tandon is known to be the best book to study this chapter.
• Chemical Kinetics: This chapter is not only one of the easiest chapters, but also it is quite important because 2 other chapters are highly dependent on it - chemical equilibrium and electrochemistry. The whole chapter is about the rate law of a chemical reaction. Mastering this one law is sure to fetch you high marks in this chapter. Again, New Pattern Textbook of Physical Chemistry for Competitions (JEE Main & JEE Advanced) by OP Tandon will be a good book if you want to master this chapter.
• General Organic Chemistry: This chapter is quite scoring because it is easy and lots of questions are asked in JEE from it. It is important because it forms the basis of entire organic chemistry. As a result, students should not miss it out. Organic Chemistry by LG Wade is arguably the best book for General Organic Chemistry. It covers all the fundamentals.
• Reactions of Benzene: This is another highly important and scoring chapter, particularly for JEE Advanced. Questions asked are fairly standard and those who have practiced enough problems will be able to do well in JEE. There are certain reactions of benzene that don’t follow the regular pattern and are rather classified as exceptions. Students should watch out for these reactions because they are often asked in various competitive examinations. As usual, Organic Chemistry by LG Wade is the book to go if you want to nail this chapter.

• Ores and Metallurgy: This chapter is not only conceptual but also quite asked in JEE. As a result, for those who are aiming for a high rank in JEE, it becomes an extremely important chapter. Students are advised to carefully learn and understand every concept of this chapter from NCERT textbooks because often, JEE paper setters directly pick up questions from NCERT. Those who want to study the advanced concepts of this chapter should study Concise Inorganic Chemistry by JD Lee.
• Qualitative Analysis: This chapter is quite infamous among JEE aspirants because it is arguably one of those chapters which require a lot of memorization. However, this chapter may help students score well because the questions asked in JEE from this chapter are quite straightforward and easy to crack. Concise Inorganic Chemistry by JD Lee is quite good for this chapter.

Also read: Best Books for JEE Main 2024 Preparation

The whole idea of maximizing the score in Chemistry is to ensure a balance between analytical skills and memorization skills. Students should try to spend maximum time in the chapters that will help them score well. This will not only help in optimal utilization of time but also help in getting an edge over the competitors.

One very important aspect to score high in Chemistry is to do periodic revision. As humans, we are bound to forget things if we don’t see them often. It is very easy for students to forget chemical formulae, chemical reactions and chemical structures of various chemical elements. It is highly recommended that students should manage a notebook with them where they keep a note of the things that they tend to forget. This notebook should then be used for periodic revision. This will make sure that you score high in JEE chemistry.

About the Author:

Aman Goel is a co-founder at a Tech Start-up. He holds a BTech in Computer Science Engineering from IIT Bombay with a JEE Advanced AIR 33 (Year 2013).

During his free time, he enjoys writing articles/blogs. He is an Entrepreneur, Coder, Speed-cuber, gamer, and fan of Air crash investigation!

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