C10 is the “chemistry in the real world” topic — how industry turns the Earth’s resources into the water, materials and fertilisers we depend on, and how it tries to do so sustainably. It is broad rather than deep, so the marks come from clear sequences (the steps of water treatment, the stages of the Haber process), precise definitions, and balanced evaluate answers.
🧭 How this topic splits by tier and course
- Everyone — sections 1–3 and 5–6: resources and sustainability, potable and waste water (including Required practical 8), life cycle assessment, and recycling.
- Higher Tier H — the biological metal-extraction methods in section 4, and explaining the Haber conditions with equilibrium in section 10.
- Triple (Chemistry only) T — sections 7–11: corrosion, alloys, ceramics/polymers/composites, the Haber process and NPK fertilisers.
Several ideas reach back into other topics: the Haber process uses the equilibrium of C6, polymers come from the alkenes of C7, and recycling metals links to the metal extraction of C4. Each is recapped where it comes up.