GRE Subject Test: Chemistry

What is the test pattern for GRE Chemistry

• No. of Questions: 130
• Type: Multiple Choice

Syllabus and Question Paper Pattern
 
I. ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY — 15%

    Data Acquisition and Use of Statistics — Errors, statistical considerations
    Solutions and Standardization — Concentration terms, primary standards
    Homogeneous Equilibria — Acid-base, oxidation-reduction, complexometry
    Heterogeneous Equilibria — Gravimetric analysis, solubility, precipitation titrations, chemical separations
    Instrumental Methods — Electrochemical methods, spectroscopic methods, chromatographic methods, thermal methods, calibration of instruments
    Environmental Applications
    Radiochemical Methods — Detectors, applications

II. INORGANIC CHEMISTRY — 25%

    General Chemistry — Periodic trends, oxidation states, nuclear chemistry
    Ionic Substances — Lattice geometries, lattice energies, ionic radii and radius/ratio effects
    Covalent Molecular Substances — Lewis diagrams, molecular point groups, VSEPR concept, valence bond description and hybridization, molecular orbital description, bond energies, covalent and van der Waals radii of the elements, intermolecular forces
    Metals and Semiconductors — Structure, band theory, physical and chemical consequences of band theory
    Concepts of Acids and Bases — Brønsted-Lowry approaches, Lewis theory, solvent system approaches
    Chemistry of the Main Group Elements — Electronic structures, occurrences and recovery, physical and chemical properties of the elements and their compounds
    Chemistry of the Transition Elements — Electronic structures, occurrences and recovery, physical and chemical properties of the elements and their compounds, coordination chemistry
    Special Topics — Organometallic chemistry, catalysis, bioinorganic chemistry, applied solid-state chemistry, environmental chemistry

III. ORGANIC CHEMISTRY — 30%

    Structure, Bonding and Nomenclature — Lewis structures, orbital hybridization, configuration and stereochemical notation, conformational analysis, systematic IUPAC nomenclature, spectroscopy (IR and 1H and 13C NMR)
    Functional Groups — Preparation, reactions, and interconversions of alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, dienes, alkyl halides, alcohols, ethers, epoxides, sulfides, thiols, aromatic compounds, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids and their derivatives, amines
    Reaction Mechanisms — Nucleophilic displacements and addition, nucleophilic aromatic substitution, electrophilic additions, electrophilic aromatic substitutions, eliminations, Diels-Alder and other cycloadditions
    Reactive Intermediates — Chemistry and nature of carbocations, carbanions, free radicals, carbenes, benzynes, enols
    Organometallics — Preparation and reactions of Grignard and organolithium reagents, lithium organocuprates, and other modern main group and transition metal reagents and catalysts
    Special Topics — Resonance, molecular orbital theory, catalysis, acid-base theory, carbon acidity, aromaticity, antiaromaticity, macromolecules, lipids, amino acids, peptides, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, terpenes, asymmetric synthesis, orbital symmetry, polymers

IV. PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY — 30%

    Thermodynamics — First, second, and third laws, thermochemistry, ideal and real gases and solutions, Gibbs and Helmholtz energy, chemical potential, chemical equilibria, phase equilibria, colligative properties, statistical thermodynamics
    Quantum Chemistry and Applications to Spectroscopy — Classical experiments, principles of quantum mechanics, atomic and molecular structure, molecular spectroscopy
    Dynamics — Experimental and theoretical chemical kinetics, solution and liquid dynamics, photochemistry