GPAT Physical Chemistry Syllabus

Physical Chemistry syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Physical Chemistry in GPAT, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Composition & Physical States of Matter

   1 topic

   • States of Matter
     • Solid, Liquid, Gas
2. 2

   Refractive Index

   1 topic

   • Introduction to Refractive Index
3. 3

   Solutions

   1 topic

   • Types of Solutions
     • Saturated Solutions
     • Unsaturated Solutions
     • Supersaturated Solutions
4. 4

   Electrochemistry

   1 topic

   • Redox Reactions
5. 5

   Kinetics

   1 topic

   • Rate of Reaction
6. 6

   Colligative Properties

   1 topic

   • Boiling Point Elevation and Freezing Point Depression
7. 7

   Thermodynamics

   1 topic

   • First Law of Thermodynamics
8. 8

   Ionic Equilibrium

   1 topic

   • Acids and Bases
     • Arrhenius Concept
     • Bronsted-Lowry Concept
     • Lewis Concept

Physical Chemistry flashcards for GPAT

19 of 56 cards from the Physical Chemistry deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the four fundamental states of matter studied in physical chemistry?

   Solid, liquid, gas, and plasma.

2. State Boyle's law and its mathematical expression.

   At constant temperature, the volume of a fixed mass of gas is inversely proportional to its pressure: PV = constant (P1V1 = P2V2).

3. State Charles's law and its mathematical expression.

   At constant pressure, the volume of a fixed mass of gas is directly proportional to its absolute temperature: V/T = constant (V1/T1 = V2/T2).

4. What is the ideal gas equation and what does each term represent?

   PV = nRT, where P = pressure, V = volume, n = number of moles, R = universal gas constant (0.0821 L·atm·K⁻¹·mol⁻¹), and T = absolute temperature.

5. State Avogadro's law.

   At constant temperature and pressure, equal volumes of all gases contain equal numbers of molecules; volume is directly proportional to the number of moles (V ∝ n).

6. What is the value of molar volume of an ideal gas at STP?

   22.4 litres per mole at 0°C (273.15 K) and 1 atm pressure.

7. State Dalton's law of partial pressures.

   The total pressure of a mixture of non-reacting gases equals the sum of the partial pressures of the individual gases: P_total = P1 + P2 + P3 + ...

8. What is the van der Waals equation for real gases?

   (P + an²/V²)(V − nb) = nRT, where 'a' corrects for intermolecular attraction and 'b' corrects for the volume of gas molecules.

9. Define critical temperature of a gas.

   The temperature above which a gas cannot be liquefied no matter how much pressure is applied.

10. Define refractive index of a medium.

    The ratio of the speed of light in vacuum (or air) to the speed of light in the medium: n = c/v. It measures how much light bends on entering the medium.

11. State Snell's law of refraction.

    n1 sin θ1 = n2 sin θ2, where θ1 and θ2 are the angles of incidence and refraction, and n1, n2 are the refractive indices of the two media.

12. How does refractive index relate to the angle of incidence and refraction (Snell's law form)?

    n = sin(angle of incidence) / sin(angle of refraction) for light passing from a rarer to a denser medium.

13. Name the instrument used to measure the refractive index of a substance.

    A refractometer (e.g., the Abbe refractometer).

14. List two pharmaceutical uses of refractive index measurement.

    Identification and confirmation of purity of liquids/oils, and determination of concentration of solutions (e.g., sugar content).

15. What is specific refraction (Lorentz–Lorenz relation used for)?

    A constant characteristic of a substance relating refractive index to density, used to identify compounds and assess purity, independent of temperature.

16. Define a solution in physical chemistry.

    A homogeneous mixture of two or more substances whose composition can vary, consisting of a solute dissolved in a solvent.

17. Distinguish between solute and solvent.

    The solvent is the component present in larger amount that dissolves the other; the solute is the component present in smaller amount that gets dissolved.

18. What are the nine possible types of solutions based on the physical state of solute and solvent?

    Gas-in-gas, gas-in-liquid, gas-in-solid, liquid-in-gas, liquid-in-liquid, liquid-in-solid, solid-in-gas, solid-in-liquid, and solid-in-solid.

19. Differentiate between saturated, unsaturated, and supersaturated solutions.

    Saturated: holds the maximum solute that can dissolve at a given temperature. Unsaturated: holds less than the maximum (more can dissolve). Supersaturated: holds more solute than the saturation limit (unstable).

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