Newsroom
News & Updates
Season announcements, exam guidance, and Team USA results from the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad.
-
USNCO Electrochemistry: Cell Notation and Nernst Sign Checks
A cell-notation and Nernst clinic for USNCO electrochemistry revision: read the diagram left to right, assign anode and cathode without reversing them, build Q from the balanced cell reaction, and run a four-point sign check before you commit to a final voltage.
-
USNCO Kinetics: Determining Reaction Order from Rate Data Without Guessing
A USNCO kinetics diagnostic for concentration-time and initial-rate tables: identify zero-, first- or second-order behaviour, calculate k with correct units, and avoid average-rate and half-life traps.
-
USNCO Stereochemistry: R/S, E/Z and Fischer Projection Traps
A repeatable exam-room workflow for USNCO organic questions. Learn to assign CIP priorities correctly, handle hydrogen placement in R/S configurations, compare high-priority groups for E/Z alkenes, and track swaps in Fischer projections without rotating drawings incorrectly.
-
USNCO Coordination Chemistry: A Past-Exam Clinic for Isomer Counting
Struggling with USNCO coordination isomer counting? This clinic gives a three-check diagnostic for ligand charge, coordination number/geometry and symmetry, worked teaching illustrations for cis/trans (octahedral MA4B2) and fac/mer (MA3B3), two further traps, and a reusable error-log template. All examples are teaching illustrations, not official contest questions.
-
USNCO vs CCO: Choosing After CCO’s 2026 Global Award Shift
CCO has moved to global-only awards for 2026, changing how recognition is measured. USNCO remains the ACS pathway with a fixed 2026-27 calendar. This guide compares eligibility, format differences and strategic timing for China-based students.
-
USNCO and UKChO in One Year: A China-Based Planning Calendar
A realistic planning calendar for China-based students preparing for both USNCO and UKChO, distinguishing exam styles and sequencing topics from January to October.
-
USNCO vs C3L6: Choosing a First Chemistry Competition for Grades 9-10 (2026)
For Grade 9-10 students, the real question is not which chemistry competition sounds more prestigious but which one fits the syllabus they are already studying. This guide compares USNCO and C3L6 by content depth, question style, and preparation demands to help families choose a sensible first step.
-
USNCO Quizzes: Build Topic-Specific Practice Sets From Past Papers (2026)
Stop treating USNCO past papers as one-off mocks. Learn a repeatable method to tag questions by topic and build 10-15 minute active-recall quizzes that diagnose weak areas before you review.
-
USNCO Gas Mixtures: Track Partial Pressure Without Losing the Mole Balance
Master Dalton’s Law and mole fractions for USNCO gas mixture problems. Learn to track partial pressures without losing the overall mole balance, with worked teaching illustrations and common pitfalls.
-
USNCO Molecular Geometry: Separate Electron Domains From Molecular Shape
A worked guide to distinguishing electron-domain geometry from molecular shape on the USNCO, with checked examples, a contrasting failure case, and a diagnostic to identify your next preparation step.