Rust Removal: How to remove rust? Part 1 Rust / Corrosion is a natural process. Just as water flows to the lowest level, all natural processes tend towards the lowest possible energy state. So, For Example, iron and steel tend to combine with other chemical elements and return to their lowest energy. To return to a low energy state, iron and steel combine with oxygen and water present in most natural environments to form hydrated iron oxide (rust) that has a chemical composition similar to that of the original iron ore. Corrosion can be defined in several ways. Some definitions are very narrow and deal with a specific type of corrosion, while others are quite broad and cover many types of deterioration. The word corrosion is derived from the Latin curodere, meaning "to cut to pieces". The general definition of corrosion is to gradually eat in or wear away, as if by gnawing. For purposes here, corrosion can be defined as a chemical or electrochemical reaction between a material, usually a metal, and its environment that produces degradation of the material and its properties