Shiing-Shen Global Olympiad: Chemistry Syllabus

This syllabus defines the chemistry content assessed in the Shiing-Shen Global Olympiad, emphasizing conceptual mastery, quantitative rigor, and Olympiad-level problem solving.

1

Atomic Structure and Periodicity

  • Subatomic particles and isotopes
  • Quantum numbers and electron configurations
  • Periodic trends and effective nuclear charge
  • Slater’s rules
  • Radioactivity and nuclear decay basics
2

Chemical Bonding and Molecular Geometry

  • Ionic, covalent, and metallic bonding
  • Lewis structures and formal charges
  • VSEPR theory and molecular shapes
  • Valence bond theory and hybridization
  • Intermolecular forces
3

Stoichiometry and the Mole Concept

  • Relative atomic and molecular masses
  • Empirical and molecular formulas
  • Limiting reagents and percentage yield
  • Solution concentrations
  • Titration fundamentals
4

States of Matter

  • Ideal gas laws and partial pressures
  • Van der Waals equation
  • Kinetic molecular theory
  • Vapor pressure and colligative properties
  • Crystal structures and Bragg’s law
5

Chemical Energetics and Thermochemistry

  • Enthalpy changes
  • Hess’s law and bond energies
  • Calorimetry
  • Entropy and the second law
  • Gibbs free energy
6

Chemical Kinetics

  • Reaction rate factors
  • Rate laws and reaction order
  • Integrated rate equations
  • Arrhenius equation
  • Catalysis
7

Chemical and Ionic Equilibrium

  • Equilibrium constants
  • Le Chatelier’s principle
  • Solubility product
  • Acid–base equilibria
  • Buffer solutions
8

Redox Processes and Electrochemistry

  • Oxidation states
  • Electrode potentials
  • Galvanic cells
  • Electrolysis and Faraday’s laws
  • Nernst equation
9

Basic Organic Chemistry

  • IUPAC nomenclature
  • Isomerism
  • Reaction types
  • Alcohols, acids, and esters
  • Polymerization
10

Advanced Organic Mechanisms

  • SN1, SN2, E1, E2 reactions
  • Electrophilic aromatic substitution
  • Carbonyl chemistry
  • Grignard reagents
  • Retrosynthetic analysis
11

Advanced Thermodynamics

  • Born–Haber cycles
  • Clausius–Clapeyron equation
  • Phase diagrams
  • Chemical potential
  • Non-ideal solutions
12

Coordination Chemistry

  • Ligands and coordination geometry
  • Crystal field theory
  • Spin states and magnetism
  • Spectrochemical series
  • Jahn–Teller distortion
13

Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy

  • UV–Visible spectroscopy
  • Infrared spectroscopy
  • Proton NMR
  • Mass spectrometry
  • Chromatographic techniques

Offline Access

Download this syllabus page for offline viewing and academic preparation.

© 2026 Shiing-Shen Global Olympiad. All rights reserved.