JAMB Chemistry Syllabus 2027: Full Topics, Objectives and Recommended Textbooks

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Last updated: September, 2026

Writing Chemistry in the 2027 UTME? The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) syllabus tells you exactly what the examiners can ask, so you can focus on what counts instead of reading everything.

This page lists all 18 topics in the official JAMB Chemistry syllabus, the skills you are expected to show on each one, and the textbooks JAMB recommends. You will also find a six-week study plan, sample questions and answers to frequently asked questions.

Quick Facts

• Exam: Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), computer-based
• Subject: Chemistry
• Total topics: 18 main topics, numbered 1 to 18 in the official syllabus
• Heaviest topics by content: Non-metals and their Compounds, Metals and their Compounds, and Organic Compounds
• Source: Official JAMB syllabus

In This Guide

1. Aim and objectives of the syllabus
2. The topic groups at a glance
3. Detailed syllabus (topics and what you should be able to do)
4. Recommended textbooks
5. Six-week study plan
6. Sample questions
7. Subject combinations
8. FAQs

Aim and Objectives

The aim of the UTME Chemistry syllabus is to prepare candidates for the Board’s examination and test their comprehension of the course objectives. Candidates are expected to:

• Understand the basic principles and concepts in chemistry.
• Interpret scientific data relating to chemistry.
• Deduce the relationships between chemistry and other sciences.
• Apply the knowledge of chemistry to industry and everyday life.

The Topic Groups at a Glance

JAMB lists the 18 Chemistry topics in one numbered list without sections. To make the page easier to study, we have grouped them below. The topic numbers are the official ones.

• Matter, Atoms and Chemical Reactions (topics 1 to 5): separation of mixtures, chemical combination, kinetic theory and gas laws, atomic structure and bonding, nuclear chemistry
• Solutions, the Environment, Acids, Bases and Salts (topics 6 to 8): solubility, environmental pollution, acids, bases and salts
• Redox, Electrochemistry and Reaction Changes (topics 9 to 13): oxidation and reduction, electrolysis, energy changes, rates of reaction, chemical equilibria
• Inorganic Chemistry (topics 14 and 15): non-metals and their compounds, metals and their compounds
• Organic Chemistry (topic 16): organic compounds
• Chemistry and Industry, and Astronomical Chemistry (topics 17 and 18)

Detailed Syllabus

Matter, Atoms and Chemical Reactions

1. Separation of Mixtures and Purification of Chemical Substances
   • Elements, compounds and mixtures; chemical and physical changes; pure and impure substances; boiling, density, freezing and melting points
   • Separation methods: evaporation, simple and fractional distillation, sublimation, re-crystallization, paper and column chromatography, simple and fractional crystallization, magnetization, decantation, filtration and centrifugation
   • You should be able to: distinguish elements, compounds and mixtures, use boiling and melting points as criteria for purity, state the principle of each separation method, and apply separation in everyday life.
2. Chemical Combination
   • Laws of definite, multiple and reciprocal proportions, conservation of matter, chemical symbols, formulae and equations, relative atomic mass (12C = 12), the mole concept and stoichiometry
   • You should be able to: deduce chemical laws from data, perform calculations with formulae, equations and the mole, and deduce the stoichiometry of reactions.
3. Kinetic Theory of Matter and Gas Laws
   • Melting, vapourization, boiling, freezing and condensation in terms of molecular motion and Brownian movement
   • Laws of Boyle, Charles, Avogadro, Gay-Lussac, Graham and Dalton (partial pressure), molar volume and atomicity, the ideal gas equation (PV = nRT), vapour density and relative molecular mass, ideal and real gases
   • You should be able to: use the theory to distinguish solids, liquids and gases, deduce gas laws from data, interpret graphs, perform gas-law calculations, and state why real gases deviate from ideal behaviour.
4. Atomic Structure and Bonding
   • Atoms, molecules and ions; the work of Dalton, Millikan, Rutherford, Moseley, Thomson and Bohr; the four quantum numbers, orbitals, electron configuration (atomic numbers 1 to 20), isotopes; shapes of s and p orbitals
   • The periodic table and periodicity: families of elements, ionization energy, ionic radii, electron affinity, electronegativity, electrical and thermal conductivities
   • Chemical bonding: electrovalency, covalency, hydrogen bonding, metallic bonding, coordinate bonds (complexes such as [Fe(CN)6]3-, [Cu(NH3)4]2+ and [Ag(NH3)2]+), van der Waals forces
   • Shapes of molecules: linear (H2, O2, Cl2, HCl, CO2), non-linear (H2O), tetrahedral (CH4) and pyramidal (NH3)
   • You should be able to: work out protons, neutrons and electrons, write electron configurations, perform isotope calculations, relate atomic number to position in the periodic table, explain trends across periods and down groups, deduce bond types, and relate bonding to properties and molecular shape.
5. Nuclear Chemistry
   • Radioactivity (types, properties and detection), natural and artificial radioactivity, nuclear stability and decay, nuclear fusion and fission
   • You should be able to: distinguish chemical from nuclear reactions, compare nuclear radiations, calculate half-life, balance simple nuclear equations, and identify uses of radioactivity.

Solutions, the Environment, Acids, Bases and Salts

6. Solubility
   • Unsaturated, saturated and supersaturated solutions; solubility curves; solubility in moles per dm3; solvents for fats, oil, perspiration and paints; true solutions, suspensions and colloids (harmattan haze, water paints, fog, milk, blood, aerosol spray, emulsion paints, rubber solution)
   • You should be able to: interpret solubility curves, calculate the solute dissolving at a given temperature, relate solvents to their uses, and tell true solutions, suspensions and colloids apart with examples.
7. Environmental Pollution
   • Air: natural constituents and their proportions, variation of components, air as a mixture, uses of noble gases
   • Air pollution: H2S, CO, SO2, oxides of nitrogen, chlorofluorocarbons and dust; sources and effects
   • Water pollution (sewage and oil) and soil pollution (oil spillage, biodegradable and non-biodegradable pollutants)
   • You should be able to: explain why air is a mixture and how it is separated, identify pollutants, sources and effects, classify pollutants as biodegradable or not, and identify control measures.
8. Acids, Bases and Salts
   • Properties and uses, indicators, basicity of acids, normal, acidic, basic and double salts, acid defined as a source of H3O+ or a proton donor, naturally occurring organic acids (ethanoic, citric, tartaric), alums, preparation of salts (neutralization, precipitation, action of acids on metals)
   • Conductance of strong and weak acids and bases
   • pH and pOH scales, buffer solutions, acid-base titrations, hydrolysis of salts (NH4Cl, AlCl3, Na2CO3, CH3COONa)
   • You should be able to: distinguish acids and bases, determine basicity, classify salts, relate strength to degree of dissociation, calculate pH and pOH, interpret titration curves, and balance hydrolysis equations.

Redox, Electrochemistry and Reaction Changes

9. Oxidation and Reduction (Redox)
   • Oxidation and reduction as oxygen addition or removal, as electron transfer, and as a change in oxidation number; balancing simple equations; IUPAC naming using oxidation numbers; tests for oxidizing and reducing agents
   • You should be able to: classify reactions as oxidation or reduction, deduce oxidation numbers, balance redox equations, identify oxidizing and reducing agents, and name inorganic compounds.
10. Electrolysis
    • Electrolytes and non-electrolytes, Faraday’s laws, electrolysis of dilute H2SO4, aqueous CuSO4, CuCl2, dilute and concentrated NaCl and fused NaCl, factors affecting discharge of ions, uses of electrolysis (purifying copper, producing Al, Na, O2, Cl2 and NaOH)
    • Electrochemical cells, the electrochemical series, half-cell reactions and electrode potentials (simple calculations only)
    • Corrosion as an electrolytic process, cathodic protection, painting, electroplating and greasing
    • You should be able to: perform Faraday calculations, determine products at the electrodes, identify factors affecting discharge, calculate electrode potentials, and identify ways of protecting metals.
11. Energy Changes
    • Energy changes (∆H) in dissolution and reactions, endothermic and exothermic reactions, entropy, spontaneity of reactions (∆G)
    • You should be able to: determine heat changes, interpret energy graphs, relate state to orderliness, and solve problems using ∆G = ∆H – T∆S.
12. Rates of Chemical Reaction
    • Effect of temperature, concentration or pressure, surface area and catalysts; reaction rate curves; activation energy, Arrhenius’ law and collision theory; the effect of light (halogenation of alkanes)
    • You should be able to: identify the factors, interpret rate curves, solve simple rate problems, relate rate to the kinetic theory, and deduce activation energy from curves.
13. Chemical Equilibria
    • Reversible reactions, dynamic equilibrium, factors governing equilibrium position, Le Chatelier’s principle and its industrial applications, the equilibrium constant (steam on iron, N2O4 and NO2). No calculation is required.
    • You should be able to: predict the effect of each factor on equilibrium, and identify industrial processes that use Le Chatelier’s principle.

Inorganic Chemistry

14. Non-metals and their Compounds
    • Hydrogen: commercial production, laboratory preparation, properties, uses and test
    • Halogens: chlorine (laboratory and industrial preparation, properties and uses), hydrogen chloride and hydrochloric acid, chlorides and the test for chlorides
    • Oxygen and water: preparation, oxides (acidic, basic, amphoteric, neutral), ozone, water as a solvent, hard and soft water and methods of softening, town water treatment, water of crystallization, efflorescence, deliquescence and hygroscopy
    • Sulphur: allotropes, SO2, trioxosulphate(IV) acid and its salts, tetraoxosulphate(VI) acid (contact process), hydrogen sulphide, and tests for SO4 2-, SO3 2-, SO2 and S2-
    • Nitrogen: preparation, ammonia (Haber process), ammonium salts, trioxonitrate(V) acid, oxides of nitrogen, tests for NH4+, NO3-, NO2 and NH3, the nitrogen cycle
    • Carbon: allotropes, carbon(IV) oxide, carbon(II) oxide, coal and its destructive distillation, coke, gasification and synthesis gas, tests for CO3 2-, HCO3- and CO2
    • You should be able to: predict reagents for preparing each gas and compound, compare properties and uses, carry out the specific tests, identify allotropes, explain the importance of ozone, causes and removal of water hardness, and the relevance of the nitrogen cycle.
15. Metals and their Compounds
    • General properties of metals; alkali metals (sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonates by the Solvay process, sodium chloride and the test for Na+); alkaline-earth metals (calcium compounds, cement and mortar, test for Ca2+); aluminium (purification of bauxite, electrolytic extraction, test for Al3+); tin; first transition series metals; iron (extraction, forms, steel versus iron, tests for Fe2+ and Fe3+); copper (extraction, copper(II) tetraoxosulphate(VI), test for Cu2+); alloys (steel, stainless steel, brass, bronze, type-metal, duralumin, soft solder, permalloy and alnico)
    • You should be able to: determine the right extraction method for each metal, compare reactivities, carry out tests for metallic ions, identify transition metal properties and name simple complexes, and state alloy constituents and uses.

Organic Chemistry

16. Organic Compounds
    • Tetravalency of carbon, general formulae, IUPAC naming and empirical formulae
    • Aliphatic hydrocarbons: alkanes (homologous series, substitution reactions, structural isomerism up to six carbons, petroleum, cracking, reforming, octane number), alkenes (structural and geometric isomerism, addition and polymerization, polythene, synthetic rubber, vulcanization) and alkynes (ethyne)
    • Aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene)
    • Alkanols (primary, secondary, tertiary; ethanol production; the Lucas test), alkanals and alkanones, alkanoic acids, alkanoates (fats and oils, saponification, soaps, detergents and margarine), amines
    • Carbohydrates (mono-, di- and polysaccharides, tests and hydrolysis), proteins (structure, hydrolysis and the ninhydrin, Biuret, Millon’s and xanthoproteic tests, enzymes) and polymers (natural and synthetic rubber, addition and condensation polymerization, thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics)
    • You should be able to: name compounds and relate names to structures, derive empirical and molecular formulae, draw isomers, classify hydrocarbons and tell them apart by tests, relate petroleum fractions to uses, distinguish classes of alkanols, soaps from detergents, and carry out tests for sugars and proteins.

Chemistry and Industry, and Astronomical Chemistry

17. Chemistry and Industry
    • Types of chemical industries, raw materials and relevance, biotechnology
    • You should be able to: classify industries by product, identify raw materials, distinguish fine from heavy chemicals, and relate industrial processes to biotechnology.
18. Astronomical Chemistry
    • The solar system, planets, satellites, and the composition of the earth (atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere)
    • You should be able to: state the composition of the solar system, list the planets, name the earth’s natural satellite, and identify the smallest planet, which is also the farthest from the sun.

Recommended Textbooks

JAMB lists these texts for Chemistry:

• Ababio, O. Y. (2009). New School Chemistry for Senior Secondary Schools (Fourth Edition). Onitsha: Africana FIRST Publishers Limited.
• Bajah, S. T., Teibo, B. O., Onwu, G. and Obikwere, A. (1999 and 2000). Senior Secondary Chemistry, Books 1 to 3. Lagos: Longman.
• Ojokuku, G. O. (2012). Understanding Chemistry for Schools and Colleges (Revised Edition). Zaria: Press-On Chemresources.
• Odesina, I. A. (2008). Essential Chemistry for Senior Secondary Schools (2nd Edition). Lagos: Tonad Publishers Limited.
• Uche, I. O., Adenuga, I. J. and Iwuagwu, S. L. (2003). Countdown to WASSCE/SSCE, NECO, JME Chemistry. Ibadan: Evans.

Six-Week Study Plan

• Week 1: Topics 1 to 3. Practise mole concept and gas-law calculations every day.
• Week 2: Topics 4 to 8. Study atomic structure, bonding, solubility, pollution, and acids, bases and salts (including pH).
• Week 3: Topics 9 to 13. Study redox, electrolysis, energy changes, rates and equilibria.
• Week 4: Topic 14. Make a table of each non-metal, its preparation, properties, uses and test.
• Week 5: Topics 15 and 16. Study metals, alloys and organic chemistry, starting with the homologous series.
• Week 6: Topics 17 and 18, then revise weak topics and practise past questions under timed conditions.

Tips:

• Chemistry carries many calculation topics: mole concept, gas laws, half-life, solubility, pH, Faraday’s laws and ∆G. Practise these regularly.
• Memorise the tests for gases, anions and cations. They are favourite exam questions.
• Learn organic chemistry by classes: name, general formula, functional group, reactions and tests.
• Be able to write balanced equations for every preparation in the syllabus.
• Use the syllabus objectives as a checklist. If you cannot do what an objective says, you are not ready on that topic.

Sample Questions

1. Which method is best for separating a mixture of two miscible liquids with different boiling points? A. Filtration B. Fractional distillation C. Decantation D. Sublimation Answer: B
2. According to Boyle’s law, at constant temperature the volume of a fixed mass of gas is A. directly proportional to pressure B. inversely proportional to pressure C. directly proportional to temperature D. independent of pressure Answer: B
3. How many neutrons are in an atom with mass number 23 and atomic number 11? A. 11 B. 12 C. 23 D. 34 Answer: B
4. A solution with a pH of 3 is A. strongly alkaline B. neutral C. acidic D. a buffer Answer: C
5. The general formula of the alkenes is A. CnH2n+2 B. CnH2n C. CnH2n-2 D. CnHn Answer: B

Subject Combinations

Chemistry is commonly required for courses such as Medicine and Surgery, Pharmacy, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Petroleum Engineering and other science and engineering courses. Always check your chosen course and university in the JAMB brochure for the exact combination.

Related: JAMB Subject Combination for Science Students | JAMB Brochure | JAMB Recommended Textbooks for All Subjects | JAMB UTME Registration Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the JAMB Chemistry syllabus?

It is the official JAMB document that lists the topics and learning objectives candidates must cover for Chemistry in the UTME.

How many topics are in the JAMB Chemistry syllabus?

Eighteen, from Separation of Mixtures and Purification of Chemical Substances to Astronomical Chemistry.

Does the syllabus include calculations?

Yes. Expect the mole concept, gas laws, half-life, solubility, pH and pOH, Faraday’s laws, electrode potentials and ∆G = ∆H – T∆S. For chemical equilibria, JAMB says no calculation will be required.

Do I need to know chemical tests?

Yes. The syllabus lists tests for gases and ions (for example chlorides, sulphates, ammonium, nitrates, carbonates and metal ions), and for sugars, proteins and alkenes.

Does Chemistry include organic chemistry?

Yes. Topic 16 covers hydrocarbons, alkanols, alkanals, alkanones, alkanoic acids, alkanoates, amines, carbohydrates, proteins and polymers.

Where can I get past questions for Chemistry?

Click here

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