VCE Chemistry Data Book: all 25 sections, the formulas, and what you still have to know
Year 12 Chemistry
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Formula sheet
The card below opens today's Year 12 Chemistry paper with the sheet in a drawer, including a periodic table. The chemical relationships, constants, conversions, prefixes and the full electrochemical series follow in our own layout, and the long data tables are listed below. The VCAA publishes the Data Book as a PDF titled "2026 Data Book", version 2, February 2026, so check any value against the VCAA Chemistry pages before you rely on it.
Year 12 Chemistry
Electrochemical series
Standard reduction potentials at SLC (25 °C and 100 kPa), with all soluble species at 1.00 M.
| Reaction | E° (V) |
|---|---|
| F₂(g) + 2e⁻ ⇌ 2F⁻(aq) | +2.89 |
| H₂O₂(aq) + 2H⁺(aq) + 2e⁻ ⇌ 2H₂O(l) | +1.76 |
| MnO₄⁻(aq) + 8H⁺(aq) + 5e⁻ ⇌ Mn²⁺(aq) + 4H₂O(l) | +1.51 |
| PbO₂(s) + 4H⁺(aq) + 2e⁻ ⇌ Pb²⁺(aq) + 2H₂O(l) | +1.46 |
| Cr₂O₇²⁻(aq) + 14H⁺(aq) + 6e⁻ ⇌ 2Cr³⁺(aq) + 7H₂O(l) | +1.36 |
| Cl₂(g) + 2e⁻ ⇌ 2Cl⁻(aq) | +1.36 |
| O₂(g) + 4H⁺(aq) + 4e⁻ ⇌ 2H₂O(l) | +1.23 |
| Br₂(l) + 2e⁻ ⇌ 2Br⁻(aq) | +1.08 |
| Ag⁺(aq) + e⁻ ⇌ Ag(s) | +0.80 |
| Fe³⁺(aq) + e⁻ ⇌ Fe²⁺(aq) | +0.77 |
| O₂(g) + 2H⁺(aq) + 2e⁻ ⇌ H₂O₂(aq) | +0.70 |
| I₂(s) + 2e⁻ ⇌ 2I⁻(aq) | +0.54 |
| O₂(g) + 2H₂O(l) + 4e⁻ ⇌ 4OH⁻(aq) | +0.40 |
| Cu²⁺(aq) + 2e⁻ ⇌ Cu(s) | +0.34 |
| Sn⁴⁺(aq) + 2e⁻ ⇌ Sn²⁺(aq) | +0.15 |
| 2H⁺(aq) + 2e⁻ ⇌ H₂(g) | 0.00 |
| Pb²⁺(aq) + 2e⁻ ⇌ Pb(s) | −0.13 |
| Sn²⁺(aq) + 2e⁻ ⇌ Sn(s) | −0.14 |
| Ni²⁺(aq) + 2e⁻ ⇌ Ni(s) | −0.24 |
| Co²⁺(aq) + 2e⁻ ⇌ Co(s) | −0.28 |
| Fe²⁺(aq) + 2e⁻ ⇌ Fe(s) | −0.44 |
| Zn²⁺(aq) + 2e⁻ ⇌ Zn(s) | −0.76 |
| 2H₂O(l) + 2e⁻ ⇌ H₂(g) + 2OH⁻(aq) | −0.83 |
| Mn²⁺(aq) + 2e⁻ ⇌ Mn(s) | −1.18 |
| Al³⁺(aq) + 3e⁻ ⇌ Al(s) | −1.68 |
| Mg²⁺(aq) + 2e⁻ ⇌ Mg(s) | −2.36 |
| Na⁺(aq) + e⁻ ⇌ Na(s) | −2.71 |
| Ca²⁺(aq) + 2e⁻ ⇌ Ca(s) | −2.87 |
| K⁺(aq) + e⁻ ⇌ K(s) | −2.94 |
| Li⁺(aq) + e⁻ ⇌ Li(s) | −3.04 |
Chemical relationships
Physical constants and standard values
| Quantity | Symbol | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avogadro constant | NA or L | 6.02×10²³ | mol⁻¹ |
| Faraday constant | F | 96 500 | C mol⁻¹ |
| molar gas constant | R | 8.31 | J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹ |
| molar volume of an ideal gas at SLC (25 °C and 100 kPa) | Vm | 24.8 | L mol⁻¹ |
| specific heat capacity of water | cw | 4.18 | kJ kg⁻¹ K⁻¹ or J g⁻¹ K⁻¹ |
| density of water at 25 °C | rho | 1.0 | g mL⁻¹ |
| molar latent heat of vaporisation of water at 25 °C | Delta Hvap | +44.0 | kJ mol⁻¹ |
| molar latent heat of vaporisation of water at 100 °C | Delta Hvap | +40.7 | kJ mol⁻¹ |
Unit conversions
| Measured value | Conversion |
|---|---|
| 0 °C | 273 K |
| 100 kPa | 0.987 atm |
| 1 litre (L) | 1 dm³ or 1 × 10⁻³ m³ or 1 × 10³ cm³ or 1 × 10³ mL |
| 1 tonne (t) | 1 × 10³ kg or 1 × 10⁶ g |
Metric prefixes
| Prefix | Scientific notation |
|---|---|
| giga (G) | 10⁹ |
| mega (M) | 10⁶ |
| kilo (k) | 10³ |
| deci (d) | 10⁻¹ |
| centi (c) | 10⁻² |
| milli (m) | 10⁻³ |
| micro (μ) | 10⁻⁶ |
| nano (n) | 10⁻⁹ |
| pico (p) | 10⁻¹² |
The 25 sections of the Data Book
The contents page of the 2026 Data Book numbers them like this:
| No. | Section | No. | Section |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Names of selected elements | 14 | Heats of combustion of selected biofuels |
| 2 | Electrochemical series | 15 | Periodic table of the elements |
| 3 | Chemical relationships | 16 | Formats for representing organic molecules |
| 4 | Physical constants and standard values | 17 | Functional group and substituent nomenclature |
| 5 | Unit conversions | 18 | Formulas of selected fatty acids |
| 6 | Metric prefixes | 19 | 2-amino acids |
| 7 | Acid-base indicators | 20 | Representation of selected biomolecules |
| 8 | Colours of selected oxidising agents and their conjugate reducing agents | 21 | Characteristic ranges for infrared absorption |
| 9 | Formulas and charges for selected ions | 22 | 13C-NMR data |
| 10 | Qualitative solubilities of selected ionic salts in water | 23 | 1H-NMR data |
| 11 | Energy content of biomolecules in food | 24 | Sustainability: UN goals, green chemistry principles, types of economies |
| 12 | Molar enthalpies of combustion | 25 | References |
| 13 | Heats of combustion of selected fossil fuels |
How the exam works with the Data Book
The VCAA's 2025 Chemistry examination cover gives these conditions, and the VCAA publishes the Data Book separately so students can keep it:
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Reading time | 15 minutes |
| Writing time | 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Approved materials | One scientific calculator |
| Supplied | The question and answer book, the Data Book and a multiple-choice answer sheet |
No pre-written notes are listed for Chemistry, unlike Physics. Read our VCE Chemistry guide for the course and our VCE trial exams guide for school exams. For other states, compare the QCE booklet guide, WACE booklet guide and HSC data sheet guide.
What is not in the VCE Chemistry Data Book
- Rate equations. There is no rate law, order of reaction or rate constant formula.
- pH, pOH and Kw. The relationships section has no pH formula and no ionic product of water line.
- Acid and base dissociation constants. The only equilibrium expression is Kc, so Ka and Kb are yours to write.
- Bond enthalpy formulas. The relationships give ΔH from enthalpies of products and reactants, but no sum of bonds broken and formed.
- Titration and dilution formulas. Use n = cV and the mole ratio.
- Mass spectrometry data. The spectroscopy sections give only infrared, 13C-NMR and 1H-NMR.
- The Nernst equation. The cell potential line is for standard conditions only.
How to use the Data Book in the exam
- Use the 15 minutes of reading time to find the electrochemical series and the chemical relationships page, which questions use most.
- Write the relationship you use, then the substitution with units.
- Check the units note on each constant: the specific heat capacity of water is 4.18 kJ kg⁻¹ K⁻¹ or 4.18 J g⁻¹ K⁻¹, and mixing them gives an answer 1000 times out.
- For redox questions, compare two half-reactions from the series and apply the cell potential line.
Example 1: percentage atom economy
Ethanoic acid and ethanol react to form ethyl ethanoate and water. The relative formula masses are 60.05, 46.07 and 88.10 for ethyl ethanoate. The atom economy line gives:
The remaining 17% of the reactant mass ends up as water.
Example 2: calibration factor
A heater delivers 12.0 V at 1.50 A for 300 s and raises a calorimeter by 4.5 K. The electrical energy line, then the calibration factor line, give:
A reaction then raises the temperature by 2.8 K, so the energy released is 1200 × 2.8 = 3360 J. If 0.0150 mol reacted, the molar enthalpy change is 3360 ÷ 0.0150 = 224 000 J mol⁻¹, or −224 kJ mol⁻¹ for an exothermic reaction.
Example 3: an equilibrium constant
For H₂(g) + I₂(g) ⇌ 2HI(g), the equilibrium concentrations are [H₂] = 0.050 M, [I₂] = 0.050 M and [HI] = 0.35 M. The Kc line with powers from the coefficients gives:
The Data Book gives the pattern for wA + xB ⇌ yC + zD, and you match the coefficients to the powers.
Example 4: a cell potential
An iron half-cell is joined to a silver half-cell. From the electrochemical series, Ag⁺ + e⁻ ⇌ Ag has E° = +0.80 V and Fe²⁺ + 2e⁻ ⇌ Fe has E° = −0.44 V, so silver is reduced:
Practise with moles, concentrations and rates in the Reaction Kinetics course.
Practise with the Data Book open
Our Year 12 Chemistry daily paper is a short timed paper of 8 questions worth 25 to 35 marks. It is not a VCAA paper. Sit it as a short mock with the sheet open and a scientific calculator. Year 11 Chemistry covers the earlier units.
Exam answers
The answers and a worked mark scheme come with today's paper once it is marked. They show which line of the sheet each question wanted. We do not publish official answers, past paper answers or leaked papers.
Common questions
Do you get a data book in VCE Chemistry?
How long is the VCE Chemistry exam?
Can I bring notes into the VCE Chemistry exam?
Is the electrochemical series in the Data Book?
Is the pH formula in the VCE Chemistry Data Book?
Revision cards
Say the answer first, then flip the card to check it.
Where to go next
- Solve it
Enthalpy Calculator
Use Hess's law and bond enthalpies to find energy changes
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Reaction Kinetics
Rates, catalysts and collision theory: what makes reactions fast or slow
Start the course - Test it
Year 12 Chemistry
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