Syllabus

Here is a detailed syllabus of the bronze (Olympiad Local Exam/A-level/AP level) and silver (Olympiad National Exam level) tiers. The gold tier uses the IChO standard syllabus and, as such, is not detailed here.

Bronze Tier (A-level) Syllabus

	General Chemistry
Radioactivity	Counting of nucleons Isotopes Types of radioactivity Radioactive decay (alpha, beta, and gamma) Nuclear reactions (alpha and beta decay, positron emission, electron capture, gamma emission, and spontaneous fission)
Chemical Calculations	Balancing equations Stoichiometric calculations Mass and volume relations (including density) Mass, volume, and mole percent Empirical formula Avogadro's number Concentration calculations

	Analytical Chemistry
Titration	Acid and Base (strong, weak, and polyatomic) Choice of Indicators Redox (Permanganate, Iodometric)
Qualitative Analysis	Inorganic Cations ( $\textrm{NH}_{4}^{+}, \textrm{Na}^{+}, \textrm{K}^{+}, \textrm{Mg}^{2+}, \textrm{Zn}^{2+} , \textrm{Cu}^{2+}, \textrm{Fe}^{2+}, \textrm{Fe}^{3+}, \textrm{Ca}^{2+} , \textrm{Ba}^{2+}, \textrm{Pb}^{2+}, \textrm{Ag}^{+}$ ) Anions ( $\textrm{NO}_{3}^{-}, \textrm{S}_{2}^{-}, \textrm{SO}_{3}^{2-}, \textrm{SO}_{4}^{2-}, \textrm{Cl}^{-}, \textrm{Br}^{-}, \textrm{I}^{-}, \textrm{CO}_{3}^{2-}, \textrm{PO}_{4}^{3-}, \textrm{OH}^{-}$ ) Flame colors ( $\textrm{Na}, \textrm{Li}, \textrm{K}, \textrm{Ca}, \textrm{Sr}, \textrm{Cu}, \textrm{B}$ ) Amphoteric oxides ( $\textrm{Zn}, \textrm{Sn}, \textrm{Pb}, \textrm{Al})$ Organic Alkene, halogenoalkane, alcohol, aldehydes, carboxylic acids
Spectroscopy	UV/Visible Dyes: colour vs structure (aromaticity and chromophore) Beer's Law

	Inorganic Chemistry
Periodic Trends	Main group elements (electron configuration, Pauli exclusion principle, Hund's rule, electronegativity, electron affinity, first ionization energy, atomic size, ion size, highest oxidation number) Main group trends in physical properties (melting point, boiling point, metal character, magnetic properties, and electrical conductivity) Reactivity series ( $\textrm{K}, \textrm{Na}, \textrm{Ca}, \textrm{Mg}, \textrm{Al}, \textrm{C}, \textrm{Zn}, \textrm{Fe}, \textrm{Sn}, \textrm{Pb}, \textrm{H}, \textrm{Cu}, \textrm{Hg}, \textrm{Ag}, \textrm{Au}$ )
Chemical Bonding	Bond types (polar/nonpolar and covalent/ionic bonds) Electronegativity (determine type of bond: ionic, polar, and nonpolar) Lewis structures Octet rule Formal charges VSEPR (no more than four electron pairs about the central atom with the central atom exceeding the "octet rule") Delocalization and resonance
Inorganic Reactions	Combination reactions Decomposition reactions Precipitation, single and double-replacement reactions Redox reaction (neutral, alkaline, and acidic)
Nomenclature	Main group and transition metal compounds
Groups 1 and 2	Trends in Reactivity (heavy elements more reactive) Products of reaction (water, halogens, and oxygen) Basicity of oxides
Groups 13-18 and Hydrogen	Binary molecular compounds of hydrogen, formulas, and acid-base properties ( $\textrm{CH}_{4}, \textrm{NH}_{3}, \textrm{H}_{2}\textrm{O}, \textrm{H}_{2}\textrm{S}$ )
Group 13	The oxidation state of boron and aluminium in their oxides and chlorides is +III
Group 14	Si's oxidation state in its chloride and oxide is +IV The +II and +IV oxidation states of carbon, tin, and lead
Group 15	Oxides of nitrogen (Reaction of $\textrm{NO}$ to form $\textrm{NO}_{2}$ , dimerization of $\textrm{NO}_{2}$ , Reaction of $\textrm{NO}_{2}$ with water) Redox properties of nitrogen ( $\textrm{HNO}_{3}$ and nitrates)
Group 16	The +IV and +VI oxidation states of sulfur, reaction of their oxides with water, and properties of their acids Reaction of thiosulfate anion with iodine
Group 17 (Halogens)	Reactivity and oxidant strength decrease from fluorine to iodine Acid-base properties of the hydrogen halides The oxidation state of fluorine in its compounds is -I The -I, +I, +III, +V, and +VII oxidation states of chlorine Reactions of halogens with water
Transition Elements	Common oxidation states of common transition metals: Cr(+II), Cr(+III) Mn(+II), Mn(+IV), Mn(+VII) Ag(+I) Fe(+II), Fe(+III), Co(+II), Zn(+I), Cu(+I), Cu(+II), Ni(+II) The insolubility of Ag, Hg, and Cu in HCl $\textrm{M}^{2+}$ arising from the dissolution of the other metals in HCl Permanganate and Dichromate are strong oxidants in acid solution
Coordination Chemistry	Definition of coordination number Writing equations for complexation reactions given all formulas Formulas of common complex ions ( $\textrm{Ag}(\textrm{NH}_{3})^{2+}, \textrm{Ag}(\textrm{S}_{2}\textrm{O}_{3})_{2}^{3-}, \textrm{FeSCN}^{+}, \textrm{Cu}(\textrm{NH}_{3})_{4}^{2+}$ )

	Physical Chemistry
Gas	Ideal gas law Dalton's Law
Thermodynamics	First Law (Concept of systems and surroundings, Energy, Heat, and Work) Enthalpy (Relationship between internal energy and enthalpy) Enthalpy is a state property (Hess's law) Reaction enthalpy (use of standard formation enthalpies) Reaction entropy and disorder Reaction Gibbs energy and definition ( $\Delta \textrm{G} = \Delta \textrm {H} - \textrm{T}\Delta\textrm {S}$ ) Using $\Delta \textrm{G}$ to predict the direction and spontaneity Relationship between Gibbs and equilibrium constant $\textrm{K}$
Electrochemistry	Basic Electrochemistry
Equilibrium	Equilibrium constant (homogeneous and heterogeneous) Reaction quotient ( $\textrm{Q}/\textrm{Y}$ ) Relating equilibrium constants of pressure ( $\textrm{K}_{p}$ ) and concentration ( $\textrm{K}_{c}$ ) Le Chatelier's principle Solubility constant (product) definition ( $\textrm{K}_{sp}$ ) Calculation of solubility in water from $\textrm{K}_{sp}$ Common-Ion Effect Complex formation constant ( $\textrm{K}_{K}$ ) Simple coupled equilibria
Acid-base	Arrhenius definitions of acids and bases Bronsted-Lowry definitions Conjugate acids and bases $\textrm{pH}$ , $\textrm{K}_{w}$ definition and $\textrm{K}_{a}$ or $\textrm{K}_{b}$ as a measure of acid and base strength Acidity or basicity of ions Buffer system and capacity Calculation of $\textrm{pH}$ from $\textrm{pK}_{a}$ (weak acid) Calculation of $\textrm{pH}$ of a simple buffer solution Simple knowledge of amphoterism and their $\textrm{pH}$ ( $\textrm {pH} = \frac{1} {2}(\textrm{pK}_{S1}+\textrm{pK}_{S2}$ ))
Chemical Kinetics	Factors affecting reaction rate Reaction coordinates and the basic idea of a transition state Differential rate laws Concept of reaction order Rate constant definition 0, 1, and 2 order reactions and their integrated rate laws (single reactant) Dependence of concentration on time Concept of half-life Relationship between half-life and rate constant Determine reaction order (method of initial rates and graph of integrated rate laws) Reaction mechanisms (concept of molecularity, rate-determining step) Basic concepts of collision theory Arrhenius's law Catalysts and how it affects activation energies (homogeneous, heterogeneous, and biocatalysts)

	Organic Chemistry
	Drawing structures (Condensed Formula, Kekule & Skeletal Structures) DBE (double bond equivalent) Properties, isomerism (structural and stereoisomerism) Substance classes: hydrocarbons (alkane, alkene, alkyne, simple cycloalkane and alkadiene), alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, and esters, as well as structure and properties of the substance classes amines, phenols, amides, and amino acids Types of organic reactions: complete combustion, oxidation, substitution, addition, elimination, condensation, hydrolysis and decarboxylation
	Mathematical Skills
	Solving quadratic equations Use of logarithms and exponentials Solving simultaneous equations with 2 unknowns Elementary geometry such as Pythagorean's theorem Plotting graphs (normal, exponential, and logarithmic)

Silver Tier (Olympiad National) Syllabus

Everything on the Bronze Syllabus and the Following Topics:

	Analytical Chemistry
Spectroscopy	Mass Spectrometry Recognition of molecular ions Recognition of fragments with the help of a table Recognition of typical isotope distribution X-ray Bragg's Law
	Infrared Interpretation using a table of frequencies (N-H stretch, O-H stretch, C-H stretch ( $\textrm{sp}^{2}$ ), C-H stretch ( $\textrm{sp}^{3}$ ), C=O stretch and C=C stretch) Recognition of hydrogen bonds
	NMR General concepts (chemical shift, integration, spin-spin coupling, and coupling constants) Interpretation of a simple 1-Hydrogen spectrum Identification of o- and p-disubstituted benzene Interpretation of simple spectra of 13-Carbon (proton decoupled) and other $\frac{1} {2}$ spin nuclei
Titration	Complexometric titrations (EDTA)

	Inorganic Chemistry
Periodic Trends	Transition metal elements (electron configuration, Pauli exclusion principle, Hund's Rule, electronegativity, electron affinity, first ionization energy, atomic size, ion size, highest oxidation number)
The Atom	Shape, orientation, and Quantum numbers (n, l, m) of s, p, and d orbitals Radial and angular nodes
Chemical Bonding	Valence bond theory ( $\sigma$ -bonds, $\pi$ -bonds, hybrid orbitals) Molecular orbital (MO) diagram (2 period) Bond orders Para- and diamagnetism
Inorganic Reactions	Comproportionation and disproportionation reactions Special bonding (3c-2e) using molecular orbital theory
Nomenclature	Simple metal complexes
Group 1 and 2	Properties of hydrides Other compounds, properties, and oxidation states
Group 13-18 and Hydrogen	Other properties
Group 13	The acid-base properties of aluminum oxide/hydroxide Reaction of boron(III) oxide and boron(III) chloride with water Other compounds, properties, and oxidation states
Group 14	The acid-base and redox properties of the oxides and chlorides Other compounds, properties, and oxidation states
Group 15	Phosphorus (+III, +V) oxide and chloride, and their reaction with water Redox properties ( $\textrm{HNO}_{2}$ and $\textrm{NH}_{2}\textrm{NH}_{2}$ ) Bi(+V) and Bi(+III) Other compounds, properties, and oxidation states
Group 16	Other compounds, properties, and oxidation states
Group 17	Mononuclear oxoanions of chlorine Reaction of $\textrm{Cl}_{2}\textrm{O}$ and $\textrm{Cl}_{2}\textrm{O}_{7}$ with water Other compounds, properties, and oxidation states
Transition Elements	Colors of ions in aqueous solution: : Cr(+II), Cr(+III) Mn(+II), Mn(+IV), Mn(+VII) Ag(+I) Fe(+II), Fe(+III), Co(+II), Zn(+II), Cu(+I), Cu(+II), Ni(+II) Chromium hydroxide and Zinc hydroxide are amphoteric and the other +2 oxides/hydroxides of the metals listed above are basic pH dependence of products of permanganate acting as oxidants Interconversion between chromate and dichromate Other compounds, properties, and oxidation states
Coordination Chemistry	Formulas of other complex ions Ligand field theory ( $\textrm{e}_{g}$ and $\textrm{t}_{2g}$ terms, high/low spin, and color) Color of complex compounds (spectrochemical series) Para and diamagnetic Isomerism (Structural, Coordination, Linkage, Geometric: cis/trans, planar, octahedra, enantiomers)
Crystallography	Unit cell (cubic) Coordination number Packing type (aba, abc, abcd) Solid structures (metals, NaCl, CsCl, ZnS) Density for metals and salts

	Physical Chemistry
Thermodynamics	Born-Haber cycle for ionic compounds Bond enthalpies (definition and use)
Electrochemistry	Electromotive force (definition) Galvanic Cells Notation of cell diagrams Standard electrode potential Nernst equation Relationship between $\Delta \textrm{G}$ and electromotive force Electrolysis Corrosion
Acids and Bases	Lewis acids and bases (hard and soft) MCB (not too complex) Bjerrum plot (reading)
Chemical Kinetics	Steady-State approximations (maximum of 4 steps, where an equilibrium step counts as 2 steps)

	Organic Chemistry
	IUPAC nomenclature, including E/Z and R/S stereoisomerism Draw stereochemically unequivocal structures for organic molecules Account for optical activity and the difference between enantiomers, diastereomers, and meso compounds Differentiate between $\textrm{S}_{\textrm{N}}1/\textrm{S}_{\textrm{N}}2$ and $\textrm{E}1/\textrm{E}2$ reactions Draw resonance forms for cations and anions Predict reactivity of organic molecules based on structure, resonance, and inductive effects Draw reaction mechanisms for simple and polar reactions Suggest syntheses in one or more steps of simple, organic molecules Design simple reactions with common functional groups Apply inorganic reagents for oxidation, reduction, and substitution in synthetic planning Account for structure and reactivity of carbohydrates, amino acids, lipids, and nucleic acids
	Mathematical Skills
	Use of math skills from the bronze tier to derive simple expressions Single-variable Calculus (basic derivatives and integrals) Taylor series