JAMB Syllabus for Chemistry 2025

Every year the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) releases the syllabus for every subject to guide candidates to read and prepare for the Unified Tertiary and Matriculation Examination (UTME). As usual, JAMB has released the 2025 syllabus for Chemistry and the exam questions will be set according to the syllabus. Candidates are to use the JAMB syllabus for Chemistry as a guide towards getting themselves ready for the examination.

Chemistry is a science subject and is always chosen as one of the subjects in the UTME by most science candidates. It is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and compounds made of atoms, molecules, and ions: their composition, structure, properties, behavior, and the changes they undergo during reactions with other substances.

It is of utmost importance that candidates should use the chemistry syllabus provided by JAMB in preparing for the examination. The syllabus contains different topics and sections from which the examination questions will be derived. Here on this page, we have made an overview of the JAMB Syllabus for Chemistry. Read thoroughly through the syllabus outlined below and equip yourself with the right study materials for the exam.

Table of Contents

Objectives of the JAMB Chemistry Syllabus

All candidates after reading and studying the JAMB Syllabus for Chemistry are expected to meet the objectives set by JAMB. The objectives are that candidates should be able to:

Apply the fundamental ideas that underpin scientific methodology in novel circumstances
Evaluate scientific information
Determine the connections between chemistry and other fields of study
Apply chemistry knowledge to daily life and industry

JAMB Syllabus for Chemistry

TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES	OBJECTIVES
1. Separation of Mixtures and Purification of Chemical Substances (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, magnetization, and decantation.	Candidates should be able to: (i) distinguish between pure and impure substances;(ii) use boiling and melting points as criteria for purity of chemical substances;(iii) distinguish between elements, compounds, and mixture;(iv) differentiate between chemical and physical changes;(v) Identify the properties of the components of a mixture;(vi) specify the principle involved in each separation method; and(vii) apply the basic principle of separation processes in everyday life.
2. Chemical Combination Laws of definite, multiple, and reciprocal 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 and stoichiometry of reactions.	Candidates should be able to: (i) Perform simple calculations involving formulae, equations/chemical composition, and the mole concept;(ii) deduce the chemical laws from given expressions/statements/data;(iii) interpret graphical representations related to these laws; and(iv) deduce the stoichiometry of chemical reactions.
3. Kinetic Theory of Matter and Gas Laws (a) Phenomena to support the kinetic theory of matter using:(i) melting, (ii) vapourization (iii) boiling (iv) freezing (v) condensation in terms of molecular motion and Brownian movement. (b) (i) The laws of Boyle, Charles, Graham, and Dalton (law of partial pressure); combined gas law, molar volume, and atomicity of gases. (ii) The ideal gas equation (PV = nRT). (iii) The relationship between the vapor density of gases and the relative molecular mass.	Candidates should be able to: (i) Apply the theory to distinguish between solids, liquids, and gases;(ii) deduce reasons for change of state;(iii) draw inferences based on molecular motion;(iv) deduce gas laws from given expressions/statements;(v) interpret graphical representations related to these laws; and(vi) perform simple calculations based on these laws, equations, and relationships.
4. Atomic Structure and Bonding (a) (i)The concept of atoms, molecules and ions, the works of Dalton, Millikan, Rutherford, Moseley, Thompson, and Bohr. (ii) Atomic structure, electron configuration, atomic number, mass number and isotopes; specific examples should be drawn from elements of atomic number 1 to 20. (iii) 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: 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, O2, C12, HCl and CO2), non-linear (H2O), tetrahedral; (CH4) and pyramidal (NH3).(e) Nuclear Chemistry:(i) Radioactivity – Types and properties of radiations(ii) Nuclear reactions. Simple equations, uses and applications of natural and artificial radioactivity.	Candidates should be able to: (i) distinguish between atoms, molecules, and ions;(ii) identify the contributions of these scientists to the development of the atomic structure;(iii) deduce the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons from the atomic and mass numbers of an atom;(iv) apply the rules guiding the arrangement of electrons in an atom;(v) Identify common elements exhibiting isotopy;(vi) relate isotopy to mass number;(vii) perform simple calculations relating to isotopy;(viii) differentiate between the shapes of the orbitals;(ix) determine the number of electrons in s and p atomic orbitals;(x) relate atomic number to the position of an element on the periodic table;(xi) relate properties of groups of elements on the periodic table;(xii) identify reasons for variation in properties across the period and down the groups;(xiii) differentiate between the different types of bonding;(xiv) deduce bond types based on electron configurations;(xv) relate the nature of bonding to properties of compounds;(xvi) differentiate between the various shapes of molecules;xvii) distinguish between ordinary chemical reaction and nuclear reaction;(xviii) differentiate between natural and artificial radioactivity;(xix) compare the properties of the different types of nuclear radiations;(xx) compute simple calculations on the half-life of a radioactive material;(xxi) balance simple nuclear equations; and(xxii) Identify the various applications of radioactivity.

Conclusion

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