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Revised Edition
THINGS YOU MUST KNOW
A Guide to the IChO Competition

ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL
CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD (ICHO)
10 Things You Must Know About the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com
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THINGS YOU MUST KNOW

ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL
CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD (ICHO)
Revised Edition
I-Jy Chang
National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan
Fun Man Fung

National University of Singapore, Singapore
NEW JERSEY • LONDON • SINGAPORE • BEIJING • SHANGHAI • HONG KONG • TAIPEI • CHENNAI • TOKYO
Published by
World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
5 Toh Tuck Link, Singapore 596224
USA office: 27 Warren Street, Suite 401-402, Hackensack, NJ 07601
UK office: 57 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9HE
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023931104
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
10 THINGS YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL

CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD (IChO)
Revised Edition
Copyright © 2023 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval
system now known or to be invented, without written permission from the publisher.
For photocopying of material in this volume, please pay a copying fee through the Copyright Clearance
Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. In this case permission to photocopy
is not required from the publisher.
ISBN 978-981-121-737-1 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-981-121-738-8 (ebook for institutions)
ISBN 978-981-121-739-5 (ebook for individuals)
For any available supplementary material, please visit

https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/11748#t=suppl
Typeset by Stallion Press

Email: enquiries@stallionpress.com
Printed in Singapore
Editorial Team
BOOK EDITORS
Chang I-Jy (張一知)
I-Jy, Professor at National Taiwan Normal University, received her Ph. D. from
Michigan State University and had two postdoc experiences at Brookhaven
National Laboratory and California Institute of Technology, USA, respectively.
Her research focuses on photochemistry and Bioinorganic Chemistry. I-Jy
was a Visiting Professor at Yamagata University, Japan, in 2015 and 2019. She
was a member of the Board of Editorial of Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry
from 2008 to 2010.
Recently, she has been developing portable experiment kits to promote

chemical education. Prof. I-Jy Chang is a long-term IChO mentor for team
Taiwan. She was a member of the Steering Committee for IChO since 2011
and was the Chair of the Steering Committee from 2017 to 2018.
v
Fun Man Fung
Dr Fun Man Fung is an instructor at National University of Singapore (NUS),

earned his Ph.D. from NUS and a MSc. from the Technical University of
Munich and NUS. His current research interest focuses on applying digital
technology to enhance learning experiences. He co-edited two books for
Chemistry Education and is a recipient of the IUPAC Younger Chemist Award
“Fluorine” (2019), D2L Innovation in Teaching & Learning Award (2019),
QS-Wharton STAR Reimagine Education Awards (2017, 2018) and Xilong
Scientific-SNIC Industry Award in Chemistry Education (2022).
Dr Fung was elected to the IChO Steering Committee (2014–2018) and

the Executive Board of the International Younger Chemists Network (2019–
2021) and is the SNIC National Representative at the IUPAC Committee on
Chemistry Education. He currently serves on the editorial advisory board of
the ACS Journal of Chemical Education.
vi 10 Things You Must Know About the IChO

Contents
Editorial Teamv
Prefacexi
Acknowledgement xiii
Forewords xv
Part 1 Introduction to the IChO 1

What is International Chemistry Olympiad 3
I-Jy Chang
The IChO Syllabus 7
Fun Man Fung, & I-Jy Chang
A Perspective on Setting Practical Problems at the IChO:
Fostering Student Engagement in Experimental Design 15
Seth N. Brown
The IChO Theoretical Exam 21
Petra Ménová
Part 2 How Various Countries Train Their Students 25

Taiwan27
I-Jy Chang, & Elise Y. Li
United States of America 33
J. L. Kiappes, & Christine A. Saber
vii
Venezuela39
Amalia Torrealba, Alessandro Trigilio, & César Urbina
France49
Clément Guibert, & Aurélien Moncomble
Slovenia59
Andrej Godec
Singapore66
Matthias Liau Yi Quan, & Fun Man Fung
Switzerland70
Dominic T. Egger, & Patrik O. Willi
Part 3 Strategies to Support IChO Preparations 81

Tips For Aspiring Participants 83
Baptiste Haddou
How Can We Inspire and Motivate Our Students to
Study Natural Science and Chemistry? 88
Per Lindgren
How A Teacher Has Supported His Students 95
Andy Taylor
Application of Learning Sciences to Improve
Performance in Chemistry 99
Fun Man Fung
Part 4 Perspectives from Question Setters 105

The Return of a Former IChO Candidate 107
Cuong Vu Viet
Sample Problems of Organic Chemistry and
Approach to Solve Them 115
Nobuhiro Kihara
Part 5 Behind the Scenes 129

A Journey at The IChO: Day by Day Events
Analysis (Day 1- Day 10) 131
Anne Szymczak, & Fun Man Fung
Behind the Scenes: IChO Steering Committee 137
Fun Man Fung, & I-Jy Chang
viii 10 Things You Must Know About the IChO

Part 6 Testimony from Former IChO Participants (& Mentor) 143
Testimony from Former IChO Participant — Singapore 145
Part I 145
Bingjian Li
Part II 147
Matthias Liau Yi Quan
An Unusual Journey in an Unusual Year: My

IChO 2020 Experience 157
Charles Windle
Testimony From Former IChO Participant — USA 161
Steven Liu
From IChO1990 to IChO2019 166
Ekasith Somsook
An Ongoing Chemistry Olympiad Journey from
a Three-time Olympian 175
Magdalena Lederbauer
Only The End of The Beginning… 188
Ben S. Pilgrim
My Journey as an IChO Mentor — a Leadership Lesson for me 194
Fun Man Fung
Photo Memories of IChO199

Index 201
Contents ix

Preface
Dear Readers,
2018 was a monumental year for us as we celebrated our 50th IChO Golden
Jubilee Anniversary in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Although the pandemic has caused the IChO shift to online competition
for the past 3 years (2020–2022), we relish the opportunity to resume our
in-person competition in the years to come. In this revised addition, we have
added some perspectives from participants who underwent the online IChO
and also from the host of 2023 in Switzerland.
As members of the IChO community, we feel that it is important to reach

out to more people in the world and share the fascination of the IChO —
how far we have transformed over the years, and to celebrate our upcoming
years together.
We believe this book will be helpful to promote chemistry in your countries

and around the globe, and that is our motivation for writing this book. Enjoy
and keep in touch, #IChO forever!
Sincerely yours,
Fun Man & I-Jy
xi

Acknowledgement
It was an extraordinary journey nursing this book. It started with a simple

idea of sharing our passion for chemistry and IChO to readers who share the
same enthusiasm. Without the persistence of Fun Man, this idea cannot be
realized. We are very fortunate to have the support from the Chemical Society
Located in Taiwan and National Taiwan Normal University. I also like to thank
my family (Jerry, Jwo, Jason and Crystal) for tolerating me in the final stages
of publication and almost missing my son, Jason’s wedding (June 1, 2019).
- I-Jy
It’s been an incredible journey putting together this book. I register my heartfelt
appreciation towards all who have supported this IChO book, a book for the
IChO family. I would like to express my gratitude to I-Jy, without whom this
book would not have materialized. She has been a role model for me when we
served on the Steering Committee. I have fond memories of the long phone-
calls and countless exchanges we had discussing on how to make this book
better for this community. Finally, I thank my family for their support and
bearing with me during all these times through the pandemic.
- Fun Man
xiii

Forewords
The International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) has been an important

event for chemistry societies. It plays as a catalyst to inspire young students
to be deeply devoted in pursuing theories and experiments in chemistry.
In particular, via preparation and participation in this event, students and
mentor teams can work together to explore the chemistry enterprise and
the mentors can help students build a foundation of chemistry knowledge
and hands-on competence to overcome the challenges they may encounter
in chemistry. In such a context, students’ potential can be further boosted
and they can become more ready to face the challenges in chemistry. It is
critical for students to understand that the development of chemistry is for
the common good of humankind.
Although we all know how competitive the IChO competition is, it is
also a great opportunity for students to excel themselves in chemistry and
develop their collaborative skills. On the one hand, the participants can find
their potential, capacity, and creativity in the field of chemistry. On the other
hand, they can also learn from each other. Although the outcomes of the
competition are very important to many students (as well as mentor teams),
we trust the processes of preparation, engagement, and interaction with other
peers during the event will help elicit students’ curiosity and persistence in
chemistry, deepen their knowledge and skills of chemistry, and open an avenue
of long-term friendship and cooperation. These will be the intangible rewards
for all the participating students, regardless of the outcomes.
xv
10 things you must know about the International Chemistry Olympiad — A
guide to the IChO competition is a deeply engaging work edited by Fun Man
Fung and I-Jy Chang, both of whom are experienced supervisors of IChO,
and Professor Chang was also the chair of Steering Committee of IChO for
two turns. The book they edited covers various topics about IChO, ranging
from the preparation of the competition and training and learning strategies,
to behind the scenes of IChO. It not only allows students, teachers, and
mentors to understand the told and untold stories of IChO, it also helps parents
understand the expectation and values of IChO. I trust you will enjoy reading
it tremendously and be inspired by the book.
Professor Mei-Hung Chiu

Bureau member, International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry
(IUPAC)
Governing Board member, International Science Council (ISC)
The International Chemistry Olympiad — A Guide to the IChO Competition

is a book dedicated to the global IChO community. This book demonstrates
how far the IChO community has grown and matured over the years, and I
am confident the reader will likewise share positive experiences about the
IChO to aspiring scientists and children.
This book will be useful to students, parents and teachers interested in the
Science Olympiads, in particular the Chemistry Olympiad, and is targeted at
chemistry instructors at the secondary and collegiate level, as well as other
science instructors at the secondary and collegiate level. It details the “behind
the scenes” preparation and trainings that students undergo in various
countries, and will promote chemistry in scientifically mature countries
around the globe, including Taiwan, Switzerland, United States, and Singapore.
Particularly useful is the “Perspectives From Question Setters”, where it
describes: The return of a former IChO candidate” with “Sample Problems of
Organic Chemistry and Approach to Solve Them”. Also described is a useful
behind the scenes chapter on “A journey at the IChO: Day by Day Events
analysis (Day 1- Day 10).
I am confident that this book will give regular secondary science teachers
the confidence to do Chemistry Olympiad enrichment training for their top
students, It is my hope that other Science Olympiads will do likewise, and in
doing so promote the STEM (science-technology-engineering-mathematics)
xvi 10 Things You Must Know About the IChO

disciplines in their home countries. I wish the reader an enjoyable time using
this book as a source of ideas for Chemistry Olympiad training!
Professor Andrew Wee

Department of Physics, National University of Singapore
Fellow & Past President, SNAS (Singapore National Academy of Science)
This year marks the 35th anniversary of Singapore’s first foray into the
International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) held in Veszprém, Hungary, 1975

(J. Chem. Educ. 2018, 95, 193–196). It was a joint effort by the Ministry of
Education, the Singapore National Institute of Chemistry (SNIC) and the
National University of Singapore. While Singapore initially joined the IChO as
an observer, I am proud to say that Singapore has been actively participating in
subsequent editions of the IChO. This would not have been possible without
the support from SNIC.
SNIC was established in March 1970 as a national body for the chemical
profession in Singapore. SNIC serves the interests of local chemists and
maintains a high standard of professional competence and ethical practice
(Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 19728–19731). One of its missions is to
promote the advancement of chemistry in Singapore. As such, SNIC started the
Singapore Chemistry Olympiad (SChO) and the Singapore Junior Chemistry
Olympiad (SJChO) with the goal of inculcating an interest in chemistry in
our pre-university and secondary school students respectively (Chem. Asian J.
2011, 6, 1112–1114). Such early exposure to chemistry olympiads has definitely
inspired a young generation of fledgling chemists who will be eager to take part
in IChO. SNIC has helped to build a pipeline of students who are inquisitive
and passionate about chemistry, and many have gone on to become chemistry
teachers and scientific leaders.
As we approach the 2030 deadline set by the United Nations to achieve the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is even more important to clarify
the role of chemistry in this endeavour. Chemistry lies at the heart of many
of the 17 SDGs; Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and Goal 7 (Affordable
and Clean Energy) just to name a few. The future of our planet will depend
on how the next generation of scientists and chemists address these issues.
To these young scientists and chemists, I urge you to realise that you have a
crucial role to play in preserving our home for posterity.
Forewords xvii
I am privileged to be able to write this foreword for Prof Chang and
Dr Fung’s book. As an ardent supporter of international collaboration and
chemistry outreach, I am pleased that the IChO is able to foster bonds and
form friendships among the international chemistry community. I hope you
will enjoy reading about the IChO as much as I have.
TAN Choon Hong

Professor, Nanyang Technological University
Chair, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences
Immediate Past President, Singapore National Institute of Chemistry

Executive Board Member, Commonwealth Chemistry
As organizer of the International Chemistry Olympiad in 2002 in Groningen I

know firsthand the impact the Olympiad has both on the competitors as well
as on the teams coaching the participants. As the (past) chair of the Committee
on Chemistry Education of IUPAC I have been following the IChO closely
over the years.
For the students the Olympiad is an opportunity to meet with fellow

participants with completely different backgrounds, sharing a common love
and fascination for chemistry. It is the first step in building up a lasting network
of international contacts. The interaction between the students, the first steps
in building new friendships, but most important the feeling to be part of a
community is one of the paramount merits of the International Chemistry
Olympiad.
For the teams of mentors, accompanying the students, the IChO is an

opportunity to meet with old friends. It feels like a warm bath to be back in
this community of people, sharing a common love for chemistry, working
together to improve the quality of chemistry education. It is truly amazing
to see the level of learning students have attained when they reach the level
of the IChO. More important the IChO gives students the opportunity to
demonstrate the creativity in which they can apply their knowledge to the
problems set in the exams
For the organizing committee it is an opportunity to showcase the chemical
research in their country, as a leading theme within the problems to be solved
during the exams, both theoretical as well as practical.
xviii 10 Things You Must Know About the IChO

In this book most of these aspects are discussed. I congratulate the editors
in bringing together these chapters, and I am certain this book can play an
important role both in preparing the students for their participation in the
IChO, as well as helping the national teams of mentors to prepare their students.
Jan Apotheker
Chair, Organization of the 2002 IChO

Immediate Past chair, Committee on Chemistry Education of IUPAC
The year 2022 has been proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly
as the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development,
emphasizing and celebrating the role of basic sciences for sustainable
development.
Among the basic sciences, Chemistry is essential in everyday life. From

what we eat, drink, and wear to how we behave or the technology we use, to
name just a few, there is Chemistry everywhere, i.e., there are molecules that
regulate our existence, and contribute to a better life and a sustainable future
globally. Over the last decades, national chemical societies, international
scientific organizations, early-career chemists’ networks, schools, universities,
or institutes have been instrumental in actively communicating, supporting
and duly informing students worldwide on what is Chemistry, where can
be found and its vital role for the benefit of humanity by engaging them in
different initiatives. In particular, the participation of students in the Chemistry
Olympiads has been key to raise the interest, inspire, motivate and foster their
engagement across the chemical sciences, as well as to stimulate them to pursue
scientific and technological careers in Chemistry. The editors of this book were
able to compile chapters that introduce to the global chemistry community the
International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO), a perspective on setting practical
examples at the IChO and addressing the theoretical exam, as well as a step-
by-step guide for the preparation and training students undergo in different
countries worldwide. This book also emphasizes tips from teachers to support
the participation of aspiring participants and motivate students, learning
strategies to support Chemistry Olympiad, and perspectives from questions
setters in building a strong IChO application and approaches to solve problems.
Other topics covered in the book include a behind the scenes section on a
day-by-day event analysis and IChO Steering Committee members’ reflections.
Forewords xix
The last section of the book highlights a series of testimony by former IChO
participants and mentors from across the globe, a perspective on the time
evolution and progression of IChO since 1990, as well as the leadership journey
by one of the book editors as an IChO mentor.
This book is an excellent resource to guide students and chemistry

instructors at the secondary and collegiate levels and foster their participation
at IChO, as well as to inspire and motivate children and youth who are curious
about chemistry. Moreover, it is expected that the content of this book will
have a tremendous impact on effectively nurturing the study and teaching

of chemistry, bridging the gap between high school and higher education
universities or institutes, as well as on promoting chemistry interest and
breakthrough chemistry teaching and learning strategies worldwide.
João Borges, PhD in Chemistry

Senior Researcher
Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro
Campus Universitário de Santiago
Chair (2021–2022), International Younger Chemists Network (IYCN)
The International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) is an important youth event

in the field of chemistry, which not only enables young minds to showcase
their extraordinary skills and to gather crucial international and interpersonal
experiences. Thus, it strongly develops the participants’ skills, and is also an
important driver towards motivating future generations to pursue further
education and a career in the chemical sector.
The European Young Chemists’ Network (EYCN) highly appreciates the
organization of the IChO and the writing of this book, which aims to provide
information on the event and the preparations in various countries as well as
recite some participants’ experiences. We’re looking forward to many more
editions of the IChO and hope that this book will inspire participants and
organizers alike.
Dr. Maximilian Menche

Chair of the European Young Chemists’ Network
xx 10 Things You Must Know About the IChO

Chemistry is a discipline that permeates all fields of our society with multiple
applications oriented towards the future. The International Chemistry
Olympiad is a must-attend event for a community of about 300 high school
students from about 80 countries who participate each year (for France since
1981).
The publication of “10 Things You Must Know about the International
Chemistry Olympiad” represents a unique testimony from members of this

community whose reflections serve to underline the importance of this event
in the development of the careers of researchers who are now accomplished

or in the process of becoming so.
As a fervent defender of all international collaboration in the scientific field

and of the subsequent importance of disseminating all new knowledge to the
general public in order to contribute to the scientific culture of the general
public, I warmly recommend the reading of this book which constitutes an
obligatory bridge between two worlds: the budding and the aspiring chemists.
Professor Xavier Coumoul,

Vice-President of Université Paris Cité for Culture
and its Scientific Influence
Forewords xxi

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10 Things You Must Know About the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) Downloaded from www.worldscientific.

A Guide to the IChO Competition

This page intentionally left blank

THINGS YOU MUST KNOW

Fun Man Fung

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023931104

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

10 THINGS YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL

ISBN 978-981-121-737-1 (hardcover)

For any available supplementary material, please visit

Typeset by Stallion Press

Chang I-Jy (張一知)

Recently, she has been developing portable experiment kits to promote

Fun Man Fung

Dr Fun Man Fung is an instructor at National University of Singapore (NUS),

Dr Fung was elected to the IChO Steering Committee (2014–2018) and

vi 10 Things You Must Know About the IChO

Part 1 Introduction to the IChO 1

Part 2 How Various Countries Train Their Students 25

Part 3 Strategies to Support IChO Preparations 81

Part 4 Perspectives from Question Setters 105

Part 5 Behind the Scenes 129

viii 10 Things You Must Know About the IChO

An Unusual Journey in an Unusual Year: My

Photo Memories of IChO199

This page intentionally left blank

As members of the IChO community, we feel that it is important to reach

We believe this book will be helpful to promote chemistry in your countries

This page intentionally left blank

It was an extraordinary journey nursing this book. It started with a simple

This page intentionally left blank

The International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) has been an important

Professor Mei-Hung Chiu

The International Chemistry Olympiad — A Guide to the IChO Competition

xvi 10 Things You Must Know About the IChO

Professor Andrew Wee

International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) held in Veszprém, Hungary, 1975

TAN Choon Hong

Immediate Past President, Singapore National Institute of Chemistry

As organizer of the International Chemistry Olympiad in 2002 in Groningen I

For the students the Olympiad is an opportunity to meet with fellow

For the teams of mentors, accompanying the students, the IChO is an

xviii 10 Things You Must Know About the IChO

Chair, Organization of the 2002 IChO

Among the basic sciences, Chemistry is essential in everyday life. From

This book is an excellent resource to guide students and chemistry

have a tremendous impact on effectively nurturing the study and teaching

João Borges, PhD in Chemistry

The International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) is an important youth event

Dr. Maximilian Menche

xx 10 Things You Must Know About the IChO

Chemistry Olympiad” represents a unique testimony from members of this

in the development of the careers of researchers who are now accomplished

As a fervent defender of all international collaboration in the scientific field

Professor Xavier Coumoul,

You might also like

Part 1 Introduction to the IChO 1

Part 2 How Various Countries Train Their Students 25

Part 3 Strategies to Support IChO Preparations 81

Part 4 Perspectives from Question Setters 105

Part 5 Behind the Scenes 129

Photo Memories of IChO199