WAEC Chemistry Curriculum
Your course of study, class by class and term by term. Work through the units in order and tick each one off.
- 88 study units
- 9 terms
- SS1 to SS3
The curriculum comes with the Complete plan
Complete gives you revision notes, the curriculum checklist, practice papers and problem-solving quizzes, as well as every exam question with its worked answer. ₦15,000 a month, or ₦162,000 a year.
SS1 Foundation
Matter and the laboratory, symbols and equations, atomic structure, the mole, bonding, gas laws, acids and salts, carbon and crude oil
First Term 11 units
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1
Unit 01
Introduction to chemistry
What chemistry is; physical and chemical change; branches of chemistry; uses and dangers of chemicals; the scientific method; careers.
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2
Unit 02
Laboratory familiarisation
Common apparatus and their uses; reading scales; collecting and drying gases; safety rules and symbols.
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3
Unit 03
Nature of matter
The states and properties of matter; elements; physical and chemical properties.
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4
Unit 04
Elements, symbols and valency
Symbols of elements; valency and radicals; writing chemical formulae.
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5
Unit 05
Compounds and mixtures
Compounds and mixtures compared; types of mixture.
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6
Unit 06
Separation techniques
Filtration, evaporation, crystallisation, distillation, sublimation, magnetism, chromatography and the separating funnel; criteria of purity.
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7
Unit 07
Particulate nature of matter
Atoms, molecules and ions; atomicity; Dalton's atomic theory and its modifications.
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8
Unit 08
IUPAC nomenclature of compounds
Naming inorganic compounds by the IUPAC system; oxidation numbers in names.
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9
Unit 09
Atomic number, mass number and isotopes
Sub-atomic particles; atomic and mass numbers; isotopes; relative atomic mass calculations.
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10
Unit 10
Orbitals and electronic structure
Shells, sub-shells and orbitals; quantum numbers; the Aufbau principle, Hund's rule and the Pauli principle; electron configurations.
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11
Unit 11
Revision and examination
Revision of the first term's units and the end-of-term examination.
Second Term 10 units
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1
Unit 01
Introduction to the mole concept
The mole and the Avogadro constant; molar mass and molar volume; percentage of an element in a compound.
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2
Unit 02
Writing and balancing equations
Word, symbol and ionic equations; state symbols; balancing equations.
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3
Unit 03
Stoichiometry of reactions
Calculating the masses of reactants and products and the volumes of reacting gases from equations.
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4
Unit 04
Empirical and molecular formulae
Finding empirical formulae from masses or percentages; molecular formulae; water of crystallisation.
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5
Unit 05
Laws of chemical combination
The laws of conservation of mass, constant composition and multiple proportions, and their verification.
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6
Unit 06
Chemical combination: ionic and covalent bonds
Electrovalent bonding and the properties of ionic compounds; covalent bonding and the properties of covalent compounds.
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7
Unit 07
Chemical combination: other bonds
Dative, metallic and hydrogen bonds; van der Waals forces; evidence for the structure of the atom.
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8
Unit 08
Kinetic theory of matter
States of matter; changes of state; evaporation and boiling; the kinetic theory of gases and evidence for it.
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9
Unit 09
The gas laws
Boyle's law, Charles' law, the general gas equation, the ideal gas equation and Dalton's law of partial pressures.
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10
Unit 10
Avogadro's, Gay-Lussac's and Graham's laws
Avogadro's law; Gay-Lussac's law of combining volumes; Graham's law of diffusion.
Third Term 11 units
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1
Unit 01
Acids
The definitions, properties, preparation and uses of acids; strength and concentration; the pH scale and indicators.
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2
Unit 02
Bases
The properties and preparation of bases and alkalis; neutralisation.
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3
Unit 03
Salts
Normal, acid, basic, double and complex salts; methods of preparing salts; solubility; efflorescent, deliquescent and hygroscopic substances.
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4
Unit 04
Carbon and its allotropes
Diamond, graphite and amorphous carbon: structures, properties and uses.
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5
Unit 05
Oxides of carbon
Carbon(II) oxide and carbon(IV) oxide: preparation, properties and uses.
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6
Unit 06
Coal and fuel gases
Types of coal; destructive distillation and its products; coke, producer gas and water gas.
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7
Unit 07
Trioxocarbonates(IV)
Metal trioxocarbonates(IV) and hydrogentrioxocarbonates(IV): occurrence, action of heat and uses; the test for the trioxocarbonate(IV) ion; trioxocarbonate(IV) acid.
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8
Unit 08
Introduction to hydrocarbons
Sources and classes of hydrocarbons; saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons; petroleum and natural gas.
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9
Unit 09
Petroleum refining
Fractional distillation and the uses of the fractions; cracking; antiknock and octane number.
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10
Unit 10
Applied chemistry
Raw materials and their sources; the divisions of the chemical industry: heavy and fine chemicals, fertilisers, plastics, metallurgy, drugs, glass, ceramics, cement, paints and soap.
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11
Unit 11
Revision and examination
Revision of the third term's units and the end-of-session examination.
SS2 Development
The periodic table, redox and electrolysis, rates, energy and equilibrium, the non-metals, water, titration and the first organic families
First Term 10 units
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1
Unit 01
The periodic table
Its historical development and the periodic law; groups, periods, blocks and families of elements.
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2
Unit 02
Periodic trends
Atomic and ionic size, ionisation energy, electron affinity and electronegativity across periods and down groups; the diagonal relationship.
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3
Unit 03
Redox reactions
Types of reaction; oxidation and reduction; oxidation numbers and IUPAC names.
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4
Unit 04
Oxidising and reducing agents
Identifying oxidising and reducing agents and their tests; balancing redox equations in acidic and alkaline solution.
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5
Unit 05
Ionic theory
Electrovalent and covalent compounds; electrolytes and non-electrolytes; strong and weak electrolytes; conductors and non-conductors.
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6
Unit 06
Electrolysis
The meaning and terms of electrolysis; the preferential discharge of ions.
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7
Unit 07
Electrolysis of named electrolytes
The electrolysis of molten lead(II) bromide, acidified water, brine and copper(II) tetraoxosulphate(VI) solution; uses of electrolysis.
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8
Unit 08
Faraday's laws of electrolysis
Faraday's first and second laws; their verification; calculations.
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9
Unit 09
Electrochemical cells
Electrolytic and galvanic cells; standard electrode potentials; cell diagrams; calculating e.m.f.
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10
Unit 10
Applications of electrochemical cells
Primary and secondary cells; the dry cell, the lead–acid accumulator and fuel cells; corrosion and its prevention.
Second Term 10 units
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1
Unit 01
Rates of chemical reactions
Meaning of rate; rate curves; collision theory; the factors affecting rate.
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2
Unit 02
Energy and chemical reactions
Exothermic and endothermic reactions; enthalpy; the first and second laws of thermodynamics; entropy and free energy.
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3
Unit 03
Chemical equilibrium
Reversible reactions; Le Chatelier's principle; factors affecting equilibrium; the equilibrium constant.
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4
Unit 04
Oxygen and its compounds
The oxygen family; bonding in oxygen; its preparation, properties and uses; classification of oxides.
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5
Unit 05
Chlorine and the halogens
The halogens' electron configurations and properties; laboratory and industrial preparation of chlorine; hydrogen chloride; the test for chlorides.
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6
Unit 06
Nitrogen
The nitrogen family; the preparation, properties and uses of nitrogen; the nitrogen cycle.
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7
Unit 07
Compounds of nitrogen
Oxides of nitrogen; ammonia and the Haber process; trioxonitrate(V) acid and the Ostwald process.
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8
Unit 08
Sulphur
The sulphur group and its electronic structure; extraction and allotropes of sulphur; uses.
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9
Unit 09
Compounds of sulphur
Hydrogen sulphide, sulphur(IV) oxide and sulphur(VI) oxide; tetraoxosulphate(VI) acid and the Contact process.
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10
Unit 10
Revision
Revision of the second term's units and the end-of-term examination.
Third Term 9 units
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1
Unit 01
Water
Sources, types, uses and structure of water; its preparation and tests; hardness and its removal; treatment for town supply.
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2
Unit 02
Solubility and solutions
Solutions, suspensions and colloids; saturated solutions; solubility calculations; solubility curves and the uses of solubility.
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3
Unit 03
Mass and volume relationships
Moles and molar quantities; relative atomic and molecular masses; calculations involving mass and volume.
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4
Unit 04
Acid–base titration
Preparing standard solutions; indicators; titration calculations.
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5
Unit 05
Introduction to organic chemistry
The unique nature of carbon; features of organic compounds; classification of hydrocarbons; homologous series, functional groups and isomerism.
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6
Unit 06
Alkanes
Naming, preparation, properties and uses of the alkanes; isomerism.
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7
Unit 07
Alkenes
Naming, preparation, properties and uses of the alkenes.
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8
Unit 08
Alkynes and benzene
Naming, preparation, properties and uses of the alkynes; the structure, properties and uses of benzene.
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9
Unit 09
Alkanols
Types and classes of alkanols; industrial production of ethanol by fermentation; properties and uses.
SS3 Mastery
Organic chemistry, nuclear chemistry, bonding and shapes, the metals and qualitative analysis, then WASSCE revision
First Term 11 units
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1
Unit 01
Alkanes revisited
Revision of the alkanes: preparation, properties, uses, isomerism and IUPAC naming.
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2
Unit 02
Alkenes revisited
Naming, preparation, properties and uses of the alkenes; polymerisation; cis–trans isomerism.
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3
Unit 03
Alkynes
Naming, preparation, properties and uses of the alkynes, e.g. ethyne.
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4
Unit 04
Aromatic hydrocarbons
The structure, properties and uses of benzene and its derivatives, e.g. methylbenzene.
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5
Unit 05
Alkanols revisited
Sources, general formula, naming, classification, preparation, properties and uses of the alkanols.
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6
Unit 06
Alkanoic acids and esters
Sources, naming, structure, preparation, properties and uses of alkanoic acids; esters (alkanoates).
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7
Unit 07
Fats, oils, soaps and detergents
Fats and oils as higher esters; their sources, properties and uses; soap making; how soaps and detergents work.
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8
Unit 08
Natural and synthetic polymers
Addition and condensation polymerisation; thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics; resins; rubber.
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9
Unit 09
Carbohydrates and proteins
Sources, classification, properties, uses and tests of carbohydrates; sources, structure, properties, uses and tests of proteins.
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10
Unit 10
Amines and amides
The general structure, naming, preparation, properties and uses of amines and amides; urea and polyamides.
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11
Unit 11
Revision and examination
Revision of the first term's units and the end-of-term examination.
Second Term 11 units
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1
Unit 01
Nuclear chemistry
Radioactivity; the types and nature of radiations; half-life and the stability of the nucleus.
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2
Unit 02
Nuclear reactions
Nuclear fission and fusion; the effects and applications of radioactivity; nuclear and chemical reactions compared.
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3
Unit 03
Molecular shapes and network structures
Simple molecules and their shapes; VSEPR theory and hybridisation; giant covalent structures such as diamond.
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4
Unit 04
Metallic bonding and intermolecular forces
Metallic bonding and the factors affecting it; van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonds; all types of bonding compared.
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5
Unit 05
Metals and their extraction
The reactivity series; ores; the extraction of aluminium, tin, copper and iron.
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6
Unit 06
Metals, their compounds and alloys
The properties, reactions and uses of the metals and their compounds; alloys, their composition and uses.
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7
Unit 07
Qualitative analysis: cations
Introduction to qualitative analysis; tests for cations with sodium hydroxide and aqueous ammonia; flame tests; confirmatory tests.
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8
Unit 08
Qualitative analysis: anions and gases
Tests for the tetraoxosulphate(VI), trioxosulphate(IV), trioxocarbonate(IV), trioxonitrate(V) and chloride ions; identification of gases.
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9
Unit 09
Volumetric analysis: purity and composition
Titration calculations of percentage purity and impurity and of water of crystallisation.
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10
Unit 10
Volumetric analysis: further calculations
Molar mass and basicity of acids; mole ratios; solubility and gas volumes from titration data.
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11
Unit 11
Revision and examination
Revision of the second term's units and the end-of-term examination.
Third Term 5 units
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1
Unit 01
WASSCE revision: physical chemistry
The mole, gas laws, energy, rates, equilibrium, electrolysis and electrochemical cells.
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2
Unit 02
WASSCE revision: inorganic chemistry
The periodic table, bonding, the non-metals and their compounds, and the metals and their extraction.
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3
Unit 03
WASSCE revision: organic chemistry
Hydrocarbons, alkanols, alkanoic acids, esters, fats and soaps, polymers, food chemistry, and amines and amides.
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4
Unit 04
Practical chemistry for the WASSCE
Titration, qualitative analysis of salts and gases, and the laboratory preparation of gases.
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5
Unit 05
WASSCE mock examination and corrections
A full mock examination under timed conditions and the correction of errors.