The NCERT Books Class 12 Biotechnology textbook runs 13 chapters, and the official PDF of every chapter is linked on this page. These are NCERT’s own files, hosted on ncert.nic.in, free to download and keep.
This page adds a chapter-by-chapter map of the textbook: for every chapter it lists the named sections, the numbered figures, and the number of exercise questions. You can see at a glance which chapters are diagram-heavy, which carry the question load, and which are read-and-recall.
NCERT Books Class 12 Biotechnology: Official Chapter PDFs
Every link in the table below is NCERT’s own file, hosted on ncert.nic.in — not a mirror or a third-party upload. The table lists all 13 chapters in book order, one official PDF each.
- lebt101.pdf through lebt113.pdf — the 13 chapter files that make up the book.
- Free to download and print directly from NCERT’s server.
If you want to confirm the file before downloading, open the first chapter directly from NCERT’s server — it is the same official file the table below links to.
| Ch. | Chapter | Pages | Official PDF |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recombinant DNA Technology | 8 | |
| 2 | Host–Vector System | 18 | |
| 3 | Gene Cloning | 40 | |
| 4 | Applications of Recombinant DNA Technology | 44 | |
| 5 | Genome Engineering | 30 | |
| 6 | Microbial, Plant, Animal Cell, Organ Cultures and Bioprocessing | 26 | |
| 7 | Plant Tissue Culture | 18 | |
| 8 | Animal Cell Culture | 24 | |
| 9 | Stem Cell Culture and Organ Culture | 22 | |
| 10 | Bioprocessing and Biomanufacturing | 22 | |
| 11 | Bioremediation | 36 | |
| 12 | Recent Innovations in Biotechnology | 34 | |
| 13 | Entrepreneurship | 20 |
The Class 12 Biotechnology Book, Measured
The NCERT Class 12 Biotechnology textbook is made up of 13 chapters spread over 342 printed pages. In total, it includes 117 named sections and 103 numbered figures, giving a clear sense of the ground the book covers. You can keep these counts in mind as a quick reference while working through the chapters.
- 13 chapters — the complete book, one PDF per chapter.
- 13 verified chapter PDFs — lebt101.pdf to lebt113.pdf, all linked above.
- 342 printed pages across the 13 chapter files.
- 117 named sections — NCERT’s own numbered headings.
- 103 verified numbered figures indexed from the textbook.
- 217 exercise questions across the 13 chapters.
- Chapter study pages — all 13 chapters currently render as not yet built; the block below tracks each one.
The counts also show where the weight sits: Chapter 4 carries the heaviest exercise load with 29 questions, while Chapters 5, 8 and 13 tie behind it at 21 each. Chapters 2-5 carry 63 of the 103 verified figures, making the molecular chapters diagram-driven, where Chapter 1 and Chapter 13 print no figures at all.
These counts come from the NCERT textbook entries on this page, not from the CBSE subject scheme, which is larger.
What Each Chapter in the Class 12 Biotechnology Book Teaches
The chapter-by-chapter guide below follows the NCERT Class 12 Biotechnology textbook from Recombinant DNA Technology to Entrepreneurship, giving you a quick view of the sections, figures, and exercises in each chapter.
| Ch. | Chapter | Sections | Activities | Figures | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recombinant DNA Technology | 2 | — | — | 6 |
| 2 | Host–Vector System | 10 | — | 14 | 14 |
| 3 | Gene Cloning | 8 | — | 21 | 19 |
| 4 | Applications of Recombinant DNA Technology | 12 | — | 16 | 29 |
| 5 | Genome Engineering | 16 | — | 12 | 21 |
| 6 | Microbial, Plant, Animal Cell, Organ Cultures and Bioprocessing | 6 | — | 3 | 15 |
| 7 | Plant Tissue Culture | 5 | — | 4 | 11 |
| 8 | Animal Cell Culture | 8 | — | 9 | 21 |
| 9 | Stem Cell Culture and Organ Culture | 11 | — | 1 | 19 |
| 10 | Bioprocessing and Biomanufacturing | 6 | — | 8 | 10 |
| 11 | Bioremediation | 9 | — | 6 | 16 |
| 12 | Recent Innovations in Biotechnology | 11 | — | 9 | 15 |
| 13 | Entrepreneurship | 13 | — | — | 21 |
Here is what the columns count: a section is one of NCERT’s own numbered headings, a figure is a numbered figure indexed from the book, and a question is an end-of-chapter exercise. As counted from this edition, no activities are printed in any chapter — the activities column reads zero throughout.
Chapter 1: Recombinant DNA Technology
The chapter opens the book by defining recombinant DNA technology — the methods used to manipulate the nucleic acid or genome of an organism, also called genetic engineering — so a student starting the book gets the big picture before the technical chapters that follow.
Chapter 2: Two Key Components of Recombinant DNA Technology
Chapter 2 explains the two-component system — a compatible host and a vector that carries the sequences needed for replication in that host — and shows the vector range: plasmids such as pBR322 and pUC19, lambda and M13 bacteriophages, cosmids, phasmids and YAC, plus eukaryotic host-vector systems, expression vectors and shuttle vectors, which anyone reading about moving genes into cells needs first.
Chapter 3: Identification of Candidate Gene
Chapter 3 is the technical pipeline behind cloning — nucleic acid isolation, the restriction enzymes, ligases and polymerases used in rDNA work, the modes of DNA transfer (transformation, transduction, conjugation, electroporation, lipofection, microinjection, biolistic), screening and selection, Southern blotting and its RNA and protein counterparts, PCR and RT-PCR, and genomic and cDNA DNA libraries — the mechanics a student needs before touching a cloning experiment, and with 21 indexed figures the most diagram-heavy chapter in the book.
Chapter 4: Dna Fingerprinting
Chapter 4 opens with DNA fingerprinting from VNTRs and then packs four application blocks into its 44 pages: transgenic organisms, gene therapy (SCID with ADA, ex vivo and in vivo), recombinant vaccines, and therapeutic molecules led by monoclonal antibodies and insulin — the medical and forensic applications of rDNA in one chapter.
Chapter 5: Genome Engineering
Chapter 5 moves from single genes to genome level: genome mapping (genetic and physical, with RFLP), high-throughput DNA sequencing (next-generation and nanopore), whole-genome and targeted sequencing, metagenomics, genome engineering through transposon insertion and CRISPR-Cas9, structural and functional genomics, and protein engineering with 6-His tags, GFP tagging and immunotoxins.
Chapter 6: Microbial, Plant, Animal Cell, Organ Cultures and Bioprocessing
Chapter 6 opens the culture block with microbiology — the nutritional requirements and culture media microbes need, sterilisation methods, pure culture technique by streak plate, the factors that affect microbial growth, and the growth curve — for students moving from molecules to growing organisms in the lab.
Chapter 7: Historical Perspective
Although the chapter carries the title “Historical Perspective”, its content is plant tissue culture — cultivating an undifferentiated mass of plant cells, tissues or organs on artificial media under aseptic, controlled conditions — covering nutrient media, culture types, and applications such as artificial seeds, protoplast fusion and somatic hybrids, which matters for plant propagation and crop improvement.
Chapter 8: Box 1
Chapter 8, indexed as “Box 1”, covers animal cell culture — the in vitro maintenance and proliferation of animal cells in nutrient media with the right temperature, pH and environment — including culture media, equipment such as the laminar flow hood, \(\text{CO}_2\) incubator and inverted microscope, culture types and cell lines, cell viability by trypan blue, and applications like tPA and the OKT-3 antibody, for students planning to work with mammalian cells.
Chapter 9: Stem Cell Culture
Chapter 9 defines stem cells as unspecialised cells that renew themselves and differentiate into a diverse range of cell types, classifies them by potency as totipotent, pluripotent and multipotent, and then moves to organ culture with its characteristics, types, applications and limitations — a prose-heavy chapter with just one indexed figure.
Chapter 10: Bioprocessing and Biomanufacturing
Chapter 10 connects lab-scale results to manufactured products: bioreactor and fermenter design and types, the operational stages of a bioprocess including upstream processing, the bioprocessing and biomanufacturing of desired products, and downstream processing.
Chapter 11: Bioremediation
Chapter 11 applies biotechnology to environmental problems: sewage treatment, from the composition of sewage through primary and secondary biological treatment to activated sludge and the trickling filter, solid waste management, and the bioremediation of pesticides.
Chapter 12: Recent Innovations in Biotechnology
Chapter 12 surveys the current frontiers: environmental biotechnology (biofuel, biodegradation, bioremediation), plant biotechnology, regenerative medicine and stem cell technology, nanobiotechnology with nanoparticles and quantum dots (including the EPR effect), synthetic biology, and future prospects.
Chapter 13: Entrepreneurship
Chapter 13 closes on the commercial end: an entrepreneur who foresees an opportunity, organises resources and bears the risk, the qualities of a successful entrepreneur and the difference from an intrapreneur, planning and resourcing an enterprise, sources of funds, entrepreneurship in biotechnology, intellectual property rights, and biopiracy — a read-and-recall chapter with no figures despite its 21 questions.
Chapter Study Pages for Class 12 Biotechnology
Each chapter will get its own study page — the block below tracks each one as Available, Drafting or Not yet built.
| Ch. | Chapter page |
|---|---|
| 1 | Recombinant DNA Technology (coming soon) |
| 2 | Host–Vector System (coming soon) |
| 3 | Gene Cloning (coming soon) |
| 4 | Applications of Recombinant DNA Technology (coming soon) |
| 5 | Genome Engineering (coming soon) |
| 6 | Microbial, Plant, Animal Cell, Organ Cultures and Bioprocessing (coming soon) |
| 7 | Plant Tissue Culture (coming soon) |
| 8 | Animal Cell Culture (coming soon) |
| 9 | Stem Cell Culture and Organ Culture (coming soon) |
| 10 | Bioprocessing and Biomanufacturing (coming soon) |
| 11 | Bioremediation (coming soon) |
| 12 | Recent Innovations in Biotechnology (coming soon) |
| 13 | Entrepreneurship (coming soon) |
How to Use the Class 12 Biotechnology Book for Study
Think of the book as three blocks before you open it.
| Block | Chapters | What it teaches |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular core | 1-5 | the theory and tools of recombinant DNA: host-vector systems, gene identification, fingerprinting and genome engineering |
| Culture block | 6-9 | growing organisms in the lab: microbial, plant, animal and stem cell culture |
| Applications and enterprise | 10-13 | bioprocessing, bioremediation, recent innovations and the business end of biotechnology |
A workable order for this book runs like this.
- Start with the Chapter 1 overview and the Chapter 2 host-vector two-component system — everything later builds on them.
- Treat Chapter 3 as the technical workhorse: learn isolation, enzymes, DNA transfer, screening, blotting, PCR and libraries as one pipeline, and revise from its 21 figures.
- Do Chapter 4 in five passes — DNA fingerprinting first, then the four application blocks (transgenic organisms, gene therapy, recombinant vaccines, therapeutic molecules) — at 44 pages it is the longest chapter, and its 29 questions are the heaviest exercise load in the book.
- Take Chapter 5 for genome-level work: mapping, sequencing, CRISPR-Cas9 and protein engineering.
- Read the culture block, Chapters 6-9, together — the media and sterile-technique ideas carry across microbial, plant, animal and stem cell culture.
- Cover Chapters 10-12 for applications: bioprocessing, bioremediation and recent innovations.
- Leave Chapter 13 last: a no-figure, read-and-recall chapter on entrepreneurship — the final chapter PDF, lebt113.pdf, ends the book’s lebt101-lebt113 file range.
On figures: Chapters 2-5 carry 63 of the book’s 103 verified indexed figures, so revise the molecular chapters from the diagrams, while Chapter 1 and Chapter 13 print no figures and have to be learned from text alone.
One caution: textbook contents and the examinable CBSE syllabus are not always identical — check the current official syllabus before treating any chapter as examinable.
Related NCERT Pages
- Class 12 NCERT books hub — every Class 12 subject on this page.
- NCERT books root — all classes from 1 to 12.
- Class 12 Biology NCERT book — the sibling life-science subject, for students who take both.
Sources and Data Verification
This listing is maintained for the 2026-27 academic session using the NCERT textbook information available to us. NCERT remains the authority for confirming the latest edition.
- The figures and counts on this page come from the NCERT Class 12 Biotechnology textbook editions on this page — the chapter PDFs lebt101 to lebt113 on ncert.nic.in.
- This page follows the textbook’s own named sections, numbered figures, and exercise questions for each chapter of the NCERT Class 12 Biotechnology book, rather than the full CBSE Biotechnology syllabus, which is broader.
- This listing is maintained for the current academic session using the NCERT information available to us.
- NCERT settles textbooks, editions and PDFs; CBSE settles curriculum, syllabus and examinations. For a textbook edition, trust NCERT.
Reference: NCERT Class 12 Biotechnology textbook, official edition on ncert.nic.in. Figure captions and section titles quoted from the textbook; page references are to the official PDF.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many chapters are in the NCERT Class 12 Biotechnology book?
The book has 13 chapters across 342 printed pages, indexed as lebt101.pdf through lebt113.pdf. Every chapter PDF is linked in the table at the top of this page.
Is the Class 12 Biotechnology PDF on this page official and free?
Yes. Every link in the table points to NCERT’s own files on ncert.nic.in, and the PDFs are free of charge. No third-party host is involved.
Which chapter covers DNA fingerprinting, gene therapy and insulin?
Chapter 4, indexed as “Dna Fingerprinting”, covers all three — it also holds transgenic organisms, recombinant vaccines and growth hormone. At 44 pages with 29 exercise questions, it is the longest and heaviest chapter in the book.
Which chapter covers CRISPR-Cas9 and genome editing?
Chapter 5, Genome Engineering, covers CRISPR-Cas9 under genome editing in section 5.4.2. The same chapter covers genome mapping, high-throughput DNA sequencing, metagenomics and protein engineering.
Why is Chapter 8 called “Box 1”?
Chapter 8 of the NCERT Class 12 Biotechnology textbook is labelled “Box 1,” though its subject is animal cell culture.
The chapter explains the in vitro maintenance and proliferation of animal cells, covering culture media, the physical environment required, equipment used for cell culture, types of animal cell cultures and cell lines, cell viability determination, and the advantages and applications of animal cell culture.