MHT-CET Chemistry · Teaching notes
Surface Chemistry — MHT-CET Chemistry
Surface Chemistry is about one question a paper in MHT-CET Chemistry, and none of its thirty-nine past-year questions is HARD. It is a recall chapter: the few ideas that need reasoning — why adsorption falls with temperature, the Freundlich line, the Hardy–Schulze order — sit among lists to learn, so the colloids page is mostly tables. Every PYQ is tagged.
Every subtopic, worked example, formula and trap in one printable document — answers shown, ready to share.
Subtopic notes
Adsorption: Surface vs Bulk, Physisorption vs Chemisorption, and the Freundlich Isotherm
12 PYQsAdsorption is the gathering of a substance on the surface of another; it is exothermic, falls as temperature rises, and grows with pressure and with how easily the gas liquefies.
Catalysis: Homogeneous and Heterogeneous, Promoters and Inhibitors, and Nanomaterials
6 PYQsA catalyst changes the rate of a reaction without being used up; it may share the reactants' phase or not, can be helped by a promoter or opposed by an inhibitor, and works best when finely divided — which is why nanomaterials make good catalysts.
Colloids: Phase and Medium, Kinds of Colloid, Charge on a Sol, and Coagulation
21 PYQsA colloid is one substance dispersed through another in particles bigger than molecules but too small to settle; it is classified by the phases involved and by how the particles form, and a charged sol is coagulated by ions of the opposite charge — the higher their charge, the faster.
Formula & revision sheet
3 formulas · 5 reference tables · 6 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formula & revision sheet
3 formulas · 5 reference tables · 6 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formulas (2)
Watch out for (3)
- Calling a dye on charcoal sorption→ Adsorption, Absorption, Sorption and Desorption
- Reading 'inversely proportional' as critical temperature→ Physisorption vs Chemisorption, and What Controls the Extent
- Inverting x/m or the exponent→ The Freundlich Adsorption Isotherm
Reference tables (1)
Watch out for (1)
- Calling a promoter the catalyst→ Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Catalysis, Promoters and Inhibitors
Reference tables (4)
Watch out for (2)
- Assuming every protein sol is negative→ Lyophilic and Lyophobic Sols, and the Charge on a Sol
- Choosing the highest charge regardless of sign→ Coagulation and the Hardy–Schulze Rule
PYQ weightage by concept
10 concepts · 39 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
PYQ weightage by concept
10 concepts · 39 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Physisorption vs Chemisorption, and What Controls the Extent | 6 | 15% |
| Adsorption, Absorption, Sorption and Desorption | 4 | 10% |
| The Freundlich Adsorption Isotherm | 2 | 5% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Catalysis, Promoters and Inhibitors | 3 | 8% |
| Nanomaterials and Nanocatalysts | 3 | 8% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Dispersed Phase and Dispersion Medium | 5 | 13% |
| Multimolecular, Macromolecular and Associated Colloids | 5 | 13% |
| Coagulation and the Hardy–Schulze Rule | 5 | 13% |
| Lyophilic and Lyophobic Sols, and the Charge on a Sol | 4 | 10% |
| Electrophoresis, Dialysis, Peptization and Emulsification | 2 | 5% |
Test yourself on Surface Chemistry
15 past MHT-CET questions from this chapter, timed at 14 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.