Annealing (metallurgy) brass can be cooled slowly in air, or quickly by quenching in water, unlike ferrous metals, such as steel, which must be cooled slowly to anneal. In this fashion, the metal is softened and prepared for further work—such as shaping, stamping, or forming. Annealing occurs by the diffusion of atoms within a solid material, so that the material progresses towards its equilibrium state. Heat increases the rate of diffusion by providing the energy needed to break bonds. The movement of atoms has the effect of redistributing and eradicating the dislocations in metals and (to a lesser extent) in ceramics. This
Glass-to-metal seal dark. Oxygen-free copper has to be used if the metal comes in contact with hydrogen (e.g. in a hydrogen-filled tube or during handling in the flame). Normally, copper contains small inclusions of copper(I) oxide. Hydrogen diffuses through the metal and reacts with the oxide, reducing it to copper and yielding water. The water molecules however can not diffuse through the metal, are trapped in the location of the inclusion, and cause embrittlement. As copper bonds well to the glass, it is often used for combined glass-metal devices. The ductility of copper can be used for compensation of the thermal expansion