UPSC Civil Services (Mains)
Chemistry optional
- 2 papers
- 250 marks each
- 3 h per paper
- 5 of 8 questions, Q1 and Q5 compulsory
Paper II covers organic chemistry and spectroscopy.
Notes
Full notes for each unit, written for a descriptive paper: derivations, mechanisms and the diagrams worth reproducing.
- Delocalised covalent bonding · 2.1 Aromaticity: Hückel rule, antiaromaticity, annulenes, azulene, tropolone, fulvene, sydnonesFreeOpen
- Reaction mechanisms · 2.7 Methods of studying reaction mechanisms: isotopes, crossover, trapping, kinetic isotope effect · 2.10 Stereochemistry and conformational analysis: R/S, E/Z, Fischer and Newman projections, cyclohexaneFreeOpen 2.7Open 2.10
- Reactive intermediates · 2.3 Reactive intermediates: carbocations, carbanions, radicals, carbenes, nitrenes, benzyneFreeOpen
- Substitution reactions · 2.5 Aromatic substitution: electrophilic, nucleophilic and heterocycles · 2.8 Aliphatic nucleophilic substitution: SN1, SN2, SNi and neighbouring group participationFreeOpen 2.5Open 2.8
- Elimination reactions · 2.9 Elimination reactions: E1, E2, E1cB, Saytzeff and Hofmann orientation, syn eliminationsFreeOpen
- Addition reactions · 2.4 Addition to C=C and C≡C: Markovnikov, stereochemistry, dienesFreeOpen
- Reactions and rearrangements · 2.6 Molecular rearrangements · 7.1 Carbonyl additions and condensationsFreeOpen 2.6Open 7.1
- Pericyclic reactions · 8.1 Pericyclic reactionsFreeOpen
- Preparation and properties of polymers · 9.1 Polymers: polymerisation, Ziegler–Natta and molar massFreeOpen
- Biopolymers · 10.1 Biopolymers: proteins, peptides, DNA and RNAFreeOpen
- Synthetic uses of reagents · 11.1 Reagents for oxidation, reduction and hydroborationFreeOpen
- Photochemistry · 12.1 Organic photochemistry: Norrish reactionsFreeOpen
- Spectroscopy · 13.1 UV spectroscopy and Woodward–Fieser rules · 13.5 Structure from combined spectra: IR, NMR and mass · 13.6 Rotational (microwave) and Raman spectra · 13.7 Vibrational and electronic spectra: anharmonicity and Franck–Condon · 13.2 Infrared spectroscopy: group frequencies, carbonyl stretching and hydrogen bonding · 13.3 ¹H and ¹³C NMR: chemical shift, spin–spin coupling and coupling constants · 13.4 Mass spectrometry: molecular ion, metastable peak and McLafferty rearrangementFreeOpen 13.1Open 13.5Open 13.6Open 13.7Open 13.2Open 13.3Open 13.4
Free to read: 2.10 Stereochemistry and conformational analysis: R/S, E/Z, Fischer and Newman projections, cyclohexane, 2.1 Aromaticity: Hückel rule, antiaromaticity, annulenes, azulene, tropolone, fulvene, sydnones, 2.9 Elimination reactions: E1, E2, E1cB, Saytzeff and Hofmann orientation, syn eliminations, 2.8 Aliphatic nucleophilic substitution: SN1, SN2, SNi and neighbouring group participation, 13.7 Vibrational and electronic spectra: anharmonicity and Franck–Condon, 13.1 UV spectroscopy and Woodward–Fieser rules, 13.5 Structure from combined spectra: IR, NMR and mass, 13.6 Rotational (microwave) and Raman spectra, 11.1 Reagents for oxidation, reduction and hydroboration, 2.3 Reactive intermediates: carbocations, carbanions, radicals, carbenes, nitrenes, benzyne, 9.1 Polymers: polymerisation, Ziegler–Natta and molar mass, 8.1 Pericyclic reactions, 12.1 Organic photochemistry: Norrish reactions, 13.3 ¹H and ¹³C NMR: chemical shift, spin–spin coupling and coupling constants, 2.6 Molecular rearrangements, 2.7 Methods of studying reaction mechanisms: isotopes, crossover, trapping, kinetic isotope effect, 13.4 Mass spectrometry: molecular ion, metastable peak and McLafferty rearrangement, 13.2 Infrared spectroscopy: group frequencies, carbonyl stretching and hydrogen bonding, 7.1 Carbonyl additions and condensations, 10.1 Biopolymers: proteins, peptides, DNA and RNA, 2.5 Aromatic substitution: electrophilic, nucleophilic and heterocycles, 2.4 Addition to C=C and C≡C: Markovnikov, stereochemistry, dienes. Each note is one set for Civil Services, IFoS and Geo-Scientist. More topics follow, and each release is announced on Telegram. All VKC notes