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UPSC NDA Chemistry Flashcards
51 question-and-answer cards covering Chemistry as it is examined in UPSC NDA. 24 of them are printed below, taken from across the deck — no signup, no paywall on the preview.
24 sample cards from the Chemistry deck
Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.
What is the chemical name and formula of common table salt?
Sodium chloride, NaCl.
What is the chemical name and formula of baking soda?
Sodium bicarbonate (sodium hydrogen carbonate), NaHCO3.
What is the chemical name and formula of washing soda?
Sodium carbonate decahydrate, Na2CO3.10H2O.
What is quicklime and what is its formula?
Quicklime is calcium oxide, CaO, produced by heating limestone (CaCO3).
What is the universal solvent and why?
Water, because its polarity allows it to dissolve a very large number of ionic and polar substances.
What is the difference between a physical change and a chemical change?
A physical change alters form/state without forming new substances (reversible, e.g., melting ice); a chemical change forms new substances (usually irreversible, e.g., burning).
What is the valency of an element?
The combining capacity of an element, i.e., the number of electrons it loses, gains, or shares to achieve a stable octet.
State Newlands' Law of Octaves.
When elements are arranged by increasing atomic mass, every eighth element has properties similar to the first, like musical octaves.
On what basis is the modern periodic table arranged?
On increasing atomic number (number of protons), as per the Modern Periodic Law.
What are the most reactive metals and most reactive non-metals in the periodic table?
The most reactive metals are alkali metals (Group 1, e.g., caesium/francium); the most reactive non-metals are halogens (Group 17, e.g., fluorine).
What are noble gases and why are they inert?
Group 18 elements (He, Ne, Ar, etc.). They are chemically inert because they have a complete (stable) outermost electron shell.
What is the chemical formula and common name of CaCO3?
CaCO3 is calcium carbonate, commonly known as limestone, marble, or chalk.
What is hard water and what causes it?
Water that does not lather easily with soap, caused by dissolved calcium and magnesium salts (bicarbonates, chlorides, sulphates).
What is the main constituent of natural gas (LPG/CNG)?
CNG is mainly methane (CH4); LPG is mainly butane and propane.
What is photosynthesis in chemical terms?
The process where green plants use sunlight to convert CO2 and water into glucose and oxygen: 6CO2 + 6H2O -> C6H12O6 + 6O2.
What is the chemical formula of sulphuric acid, and why is it called the 'king of chemicals'?
H2SO4. It is called the king of chemicals because of its vast industrial use in fertilizers, refining, and manufacturing.
What gas turns lime water milky, and what is formed?
Carbon dioxide (CO2) turns lime water milky by forming insoluble calcium carbonate (CaCO3).
What is the role of chlorophyll?
Chlorophyll is the green pigment in plants that absorbs sunlight for photosynthesis.
What is the difference between an atom and an ion?
An atom is electrically neutral (protons = electrons); an ion is a charged species formed by an atom losing electrons (cation, +) or gaining electrons (anion, -).
What is the chemical formula of ammonia and one major use?
NH3; widely used in the manufacture of nitrogenous fertilizers (e.g., urea) and as a refrigerant.
What is electrolysis?
The decomposition of an ionic compound (molten or in solution) into its elements by passing an electric current through it.
What are the products of electrolysis of water?
Hydrogen gas at the cathode and oxygen gas at the anode, in a 2:1 volume ratio.
What is a saturated hydrocarbon? Give the general formula.
A hydrocarbon with only single C-C bonds (alkanes). General formula: CnH(2n+2), e.g., methane CH4, ethane C2H6.
What is the difference between a strong acid and a weak acid?
A strong acid ionizes completely in water (e.g., HCl, H2SO4); a weak acid ionizes only partially (e.g., acetic acid, carbonic acid).
What this deck covers
The Chemistry deck follows the UPSC NDA Chemistry syllabus — 9 chapters and 0 topics — so questions land on material that is genuinely examinable rather than trivia around it. That works out to roughly 5.7 cards per chapter.
Answers are written to be recallable, not just readable — averaging about 103 characters, which is long enough to carry the reasoning and short enough to say out loud.
A deck like this earns its keep on the second and third pass. Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then use the cards to find the specific facts that have not stuck.
Chemistry flashcards FAQ
How many Chemistry flashcards are in this UPSC NDA deck?
51 cards. This page previews 24 of them, sampled evenly across the deck so you can judge the difficulty before installing anything.
Are these UPSC NDA flashcards free?
Yes. The preview here is free to read with no signup, and the full 51-card deck is free inside the Examius app.
What do the Chemistry cards cover?
They follow the UPSC NDA Chemistry syllabus — 9 chapters and 0 topics — so the questions track what is actually examinable.
How should I use these flashcards?
Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then drill the deck. Examius schedules each card with spaced repetition, so cards you keep missing come back sooner and ones you know drift further apart.