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Chemistry — Inorganic Chemistry for the JEE Main Exam

Inorganic Chemistry is the most memorisation-heavy section of JEE Chemistry and is where students who invest time in rote learning pick up easy marks. Coordination chemistry and p-block reactions are virtually guaranteed in every paper. JEE Advanced tests VSEPR shapes and crystal-field theory.

NTA JEE Main Information Bulletin — Chemistry syllabus (Classification of Elements, p-Block, d/f-Block, Coordination Compounds, Chemical Bonding).

Locale-specific study guides

Pass-rate data, regulatory context, and study tips for Chemistry — Inorganic Chemistry all change by candidate locale. Pick your context:

Common failure modes

These are the patterns that cause most candidates to lose marks on this topic. Recognising them in advance is half the work.

  • !Confusing the oxidation states of transition metals in complex ions — particularly chromium and manganese
  • !Misidentifying VSEPR geometry when lone pairs are present (e.g., SF₄ is see-saw, not tetrahedral)
  • !Getting wrong the colour of precipitates in qualitative analysis (salt analysis)
  • !Forgetting the conditions for back-bonding in p-block compounds (BF₃ vs BCl₃ Lewis acidity)
  • !Confusing EAN (effective atomic number) rule with the 18-electron rule for coordination complexes

Study tips

  • 1Make a reaction chart for each p-block group — list the key reactions of Group 15, 16, 17, 18 with clear mnemonics. JEE Main tests these directly.
  • 2Memorise the colours, magnetic properties, and IUPAC names of at least 20 common coordination compounds — they appear as direct-recall questions.
  • 3For d-block, learn the electronic configurations of first-row transition metals (especially Cr and Cu anomalies) and their common oxidation states.
  • 4Drill NCERT Inorganic reactions — a significant fraction of JEE Main inorganic questions are NCERT-derived.
  • 5Use flashcards for oxyacids of halogens: structure, oxidation state of the central atom, and relative acid strength.

Sample JEE Main Chemistry — Inorganic Chemistry questions

These sample items mirror the format and difficulty of real JEE Main questions. Practice with thousands more on the free Koydo question bank.

  1. 1

    The coordination number of platinum in [Pt(NH₃)₂Cl₂] is:

    • A2
    • B4Correct
    • C6
    • D8
    Why this answer?

    Illustrative JEE-style: The square-planar complex [Pt(NH₃)₂Cl₂] has two NH₃ ligands and two Cl⁻ ligands directly bonded to platinum, giving a coordination number of 4.

  2. 2

    Which of the following has a trigonal bipyramidal geometry?

    • ABF₃
    • BPCl₅Correct
    • CSF₆
    • DH₂O
    Why this answer?

    Illustrative JEE-style: PCl₅ has 5 bonding pairs and no lone pairs; VSEPR gives trigonal bipyramidal geometry. BF₃ is trigonal planar, SF₆ is octahedral, H₂O is bent.

  3. 3

    The oxidation state of Cr in K₂Cr₂O₇ is:

    • A+3
    • B+4
    • C+6Correct
    • D+7
    Why this answer?

    Illustrative JEE-style: In K₂Cr₂O₇, potassium is +1 and oxygen is −2. Let Cr be x: 2(+1) + 2x + 7(−2) = 0 → 2 + 2x − 14 = 0 → x = +6.

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