Chemistry TipsClass 11–12

CBSEClass12InorganicChemistry:ScoreFullMarksWithoutMemorisingEverything

p-Block, d-Block, and Coordination Compounds carry 16 marks in Class 12 Chemistry. This guide helps you memorise selectively and score full marks.

6 min read·15 February 2025·ClearSteps

Inorganic Chemistry feels like an endless ocean of facts. But CBSE only tests a specific, predictable subset. This guide helps you memorise the right things and skip the rest.

Inorganic Chemistry Marks

ChapterMarks
p-Block Elements (Groups 15-18)8
d and f-Block Elements5
Coordination Compounds3

p-Block: What CBSE Actually Asks

  • Structures of XeF2, XeF4, XeF6, XeO3 — draw with VSEPR shapes
  • Oxoacids of nitrogen: HNO2, HNO3 — oxidation state of N in each
  • Ozone — preparation, structure, why it depletes
  • Interhalogen compounds — formula pattern AXn

Tip

Draw structures on flash cards. One card per structure. Review daily for 5 minutes. At exam time you should be able to draw XeF4 in under 20 seconds.

d-Block: Selective Memorisation

  • Electronic configuration of Cr and Cu — exceptions explained
  • Colour in transition metal compounds — d-d transition
  • KMnO4 reactions in acidic, alkaline, and neutral medium — all three
  • Lanthanoid contraction — cause and consequence

Coordination Compounds: The 3-Mark Strategy

  • IUPAC nomenclature — anionic ligands first, then neutral, then central metal with oxidation state
  • Werner theory — primary and secondary valence
  • Isomerism — ionisation, linkage, geometrical, optical — one example each
  • Hybridisation: sp3, dsp2, d2sp3

Put this into practice

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