NECO Areas Of Concentration For Chemistry 2025/2026

The NECO Areas Of Concentration For Chemistry 2025/2026 is crucial for your preparation for the May/June exams. As the exam dates approach, it’s essential to focus on the key areas of concentration in the syllabus to ensure success.

Whether you’re looking for NECO Areas Of Concentration For Chemistry 2025/2026 Biology Mathematics, Economics, or any other subject, the syllabus provides a roadmap of topics to focus on for the upcoming exams. Early preparation using the syllabus will give you a significant advantage, as it highlights the topics most likely to appear.

To succeed in the 2025/2026 NECO exams, start by studying each subject’s syllabus and focusing on the areas of concentration, ensuring you cover all required topics. Early preparation and personal input will be key to achieving your desired results.

NECO Areas Of Concentration For Chemistry 2025/2026

(a) Measurement of Physical Quantities

(i) Measurement of Physical Quantities

• Determining quantities like mass, length, time, temperature, and volume.

(ii) Scientific Measurements and Their Importance in Chemistry

• Accurate measurements are essential for precise experiments, calculations, and understanding chemical processes.

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(b) Scientific Methods

1. Measurement of Mass, Length, Time, Temperature, and Volume
   • Mass: Kilogram (kg), Length: Meter (m), Time: Second (s), Temperature: Kelvin (K), Volume: Cubic meter (m³)
2. Appropriate SI Units and Significant Figures
   • Use of SI units for consistency. Significant figures indicate the precision of measurements.
3. Precision and Accuracy in Measurement
   • Precision: Reproducibility of measurements.
   • Accuracy: Closeness to the true value.
4. Scientific Method Outline
   • Observation: Identifying a problem.
   • Hypothesis: Forming a testable explanation.
   • Experimentation: Conducting experiments to test the hypothesis.
   • Formulation of Laws and Theories: Concluding with laws/theories based on experimental results.

2.0 Structure of the Atom

a) Gross Features of the Atom

• Basic structure: nucleus (protons and neutrons), electrons.

(b) (i) Atomic Number, Proton Number, Neutrons, Isotopes, Atomic Mass, Mass Number

• Atomic number = number of protons.
• Mass number = protons + neutrons.
• Isotopes: atoms of the same element with different neutron counts.

(ii) Relative Atomic Mass (Ar) and Relative Molecular Mass (Mr) Based on Carbon-12 Scale

• Ar: Weighted average of isotopes relative to C-12.
• Mr: Sum of atomic masses of elements in a molecule.

(iii) Characteristics and Nature of Matter

• Matter is made of particles and can undergo physical and chemical changes.

(c) Particulate Nature of Matter

• Matter consists of atoms, molecules, and ions, and can undergo physical (e.g., melting) and chemical (e.g., combustion) changes.

(d) (i) Electron Configuration

• Distribution of electrons in orbitals.

(ii) Orbitals

• Regions around the nucleus where electrons are likely to be found (s, p, d orbitals).

(iii) Rules and Principles for Filling Electrons

• Aufbau Principle: Electrons fill orbitals in order of increasing energy.
• Hund’s Rule: Electrons fill degenerate orbitals singly before pairing.
• Pauli Exclusion Principle: No two electrons can have the same set of quantum numbers.

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Atomic Theory and Models

1. Dalton’s Atomic Theory
   • Matter consists of indivisible atoms; atoms of the same element are identical.
   • Limitations: Does not account for subatomic particles.
2. J.J. Thompson’s Experiment
   • Discovery of the electron using the cathode ray tube.
3. Bohr’s Model of the Atom
   • Electrons move in fixed orbits around the nucleus.
4. Rutherford’s Alpha Scattering Experiment
   • Discovery of the nucleus and the conclusion that most of the atom’s mass is concentrated in the nucleus.

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Atomic Mass and Isotopes

1. Atomic Mass as Weighted Average of Isotopes
   • Example: Chlorine has isotopes Cl-35 and Cl-37. The relative atomic mass is the weighted average based on natural abundances.
2. Carbon-12 Scale and Atomic Mass Unit
   • Atomic mass unit (amu) is defined as 1/12 the mass of a carbon-12 atom.

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Atoms, Molecules, and Ions

• Particles: Atoms, molecules, and ions are the basic building blocks of matter.
• Physical vs. Chemical Changes: Physical changes (e.g., melting, magnetizing) do not alter the substance’s chemical composition. Chemical changes (e.g., burning, rusting) involve new substances being formed.

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Electron Configuration for the First 30 Elements

• Detailed Configurations: s, p, and d orbitals are filled according to the Aufbau Principle and Hund’s Rule.

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Orbital Theory

• Shapes of s and p Orbitals:
  • s orbitals are spherical, p orbitals are dumbbell-shaped.
• Abbreviated Electron Configuration
  • Simplified notation using noble gas symbols.

Hybridization:

• sp, sp2, sp3 hybrid orbitals: Descriptions and shapes.
• Molecules: CH4, H2O, NH3, BCl3, C2H2, BeCl2, C2H4, SF6.
• Sigma and Pi Bonds: Using C2H2 and C6H6.

2. Solutions:

• Preparation: Dilution method and concentration determination.
• Standard Solutions: Primary and secondary standards.

3. Energy and Energy Changes:

• Physical and isolated systems: Energy changes.
• Hess’s Law & Born-Haber cycle: Explanation and applications.
• Bond Energy: Calculations, bond strength, enthalpy of reaction.

4. Acids, Bases, and Salts:

• Definitions: Bronsted-Lowry, Lewis concepts.
• pH, pOH, pKw: Calculations.
• Weak acids/bases: Ionization and equilibrium.
• Buffer Solutions: Preparation and examples.
• Acid-Base Titrations: Graphs and calculations.

5. Solubility of Substances:

• Solubility Product (Ksp): Calculations and factors affecting solubility.
• Crystallization/Recrystallization: Effect of lattice and hydration energy.

6. Chemical Kinetics and Equilibrium Systems:

• Rate Law & Order of Reaction: Determination from data.
• Rate Determining Step: Multi-step reactions.
• Equilibrium: Law of Mass Action, Kp, Kc calculations.

7. Chemistry of Carbon Compounds:

• Separation & Purification: Methods including extraction, melting point.
• Empirical and Molecular Formulae: Determination.
• Reactivity: Alkanes, benzene, halogenation mechanism.
• Benzene Reactions: Toluene, phenol, aniline, and comparison with alkenes.

8. Chemical Industry and Environment:

• Raw Materials: Mining, extraction of metals (gold, bauxite, manganese, iron).
• Cement: Production process, uses, and environmental impact.

9. Non-Metals and Their Compounds (Section C for specific regions):

• Carbon: Allotropes (graphite, diamond), coal types, coke.
• Oxygen: Preparation, properties, binary compounds.
• Hydrogen: Laboratory preparations, properties, uses.
• Water: Composition, hardness, treatment.
• Halogens: Chlorine, hydrogen chloride, reactions, uses.
• Nitrogen: Preparation, ammonia, compounds.
• Sulphur: Allotropes, compounds, uses.
• Noble Gases: Properties, uses.

(a) Extraction of metals:

• Aluminium
• Iron
• Tin

(b) Alloys

(c) Sodium and its compounds:

• Properties and uses of sodium
• Sodium compounds: NaCl, NaOH, Na2CO3, NaNO3, Na2SO4, NaClO

(d) Calcium and its compounds:

• Properties and uses of calcium
• Calcium compounds: CaCO3, CaO, CaSO4, CaCl2, Ca(OH)2

(e) Reactivity of metals:

• Reactivity of iron and aluminium with air, water, and acids

(f) Copper and its compounds:

• Properties and uses of copper
• Copper compounds: CuSO4, CuO, CuCl2

(g) Alloys of Cu, Al, Pb, Fe, Sn:

• Common alloys and their uses

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16.0 PRACTICALS

(a) General Skills and Principles:

• Measurement of mass and volume
• Preparation and dilution of standard solutions
• Filtration, recrystallisation, melting point determination
• Measurement of heats of neutralization and solutions
• Determination of pH value by colorimetry
• Determination of rates of reaction (concentration vs time curves)
• Determination of equilibrium constants

(b) Quantitative Analysis:

• Acid-base titrations:
  • Using methyl orange, methyl red, phenolphthalein
  • Determining concentration, molar mass, solubility, and purity
  • Analysis of Na2CO3/NaHCO3 mixture (Ghanaians only)
  • Stoichiometry of reactions
• Redox titrations:
  • Acidic MnO4- with Fe2+, C2O42-, and I2 in KI versus S2O32-

(c) Qualitative Analysis:

• Characteristic tests of cations: NH4+, Ca2+, Pb2+, Cu2+, Fe2+, Fe3+, Al3+, Zn2+
• Confirmatory tests for cations
• Tests for anions: Cl-, SO32-, CO32-, NO3-, SO42-
• Comparative study of halogens (displacement reactions)
• Tests for gases: H2, NH3, CO2, HCl, SO2
• Functional group tests for organic compounds (alkenes, alkanols, alkanoic acids, sugars, starch, proteins)