Introduction

We rarely find metals in nature in their native state. Usually, metals are found in the form of an ore, which the average person would call a rock. When metals atoms bond to other atoms, the molecule will not have the same properties we find in the metal when the chemical bonds are broken.

It is not enough to merely melt the ore. Although the molecules will become molten, the chemical bond will not necessarily break. Lava is one example of molten rock, and when it cools off, it is still a rock. A chemical change is necessary, and melting is just a physical change.

The process of breaking the chemical bond can be different for different molecules. Sometimes heat is all that is required for the atoms to dissociate, with the unwanted atoms recombining with atoms in the air and the metal dripping to the bottom. Other times, the unwanted atoms will require other materials to react with before the metal's chemical bond will be released. This process is called smelting.

Once the metal has been isolated, new chemical bonds may develop over time. When materials are exposed to the right conditions they can rust or tarnish. When this happens, the metal atoms are still present in a new molecule, but the molecule has different properties than the isolated metal.

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