I hate this response already.
It's like arguing with a deceased saint over what was meant when he transcribed the scriptures.
Prepare to head on down the rabbit hole.
The science of those globules, how they stick together, and how they come apart is called "Group Theory".
It's Algebra nerd nirvana. It's the science of poly chrystalline structures. And I haven't prepared a meaningful lecture on it in 30 years.
But for the purposes of case colors, we can say that the globules lay on each other in layers. They are connected to each other in various ways into all sorts of glorious shapes by electron and mechanical bonds. Kind of like a stack of crab pots or little lion cages. A little of this, and a little of that, changes their shape, and the color they resonate at. Some atoms are way bigger than others, so if they are held in the little chrystal cage, they bulge the sides. Or bend the electron frame a little. That might make that little cage stronger or weaker.
Equally importantly, we can tighten, vibrate, or break those bonds'little cages with the addition of energy. It doesn't matter what kind of energy is applied. We might be most familiar with basic friction from a dirty rag rubbed across the film. Or Ed's blow torch. Or a microwave oven.
Energy added, and some of the bonds get broken, because sometimes the Lion wants out (big encaged atom). It can just as easily be light energy. Excite the atoms, the most responsive bonds break, and the chrystal structure reflecting back that wavelength of light, no longer does so. It's now a different color .
How does 80 degree sunshine blister our skin? Absorption of energy. Same deal.
When steel is heated to a high temperature, the addition of the heat energy is creating chrystal structures that would never occur at a lower temp. But at quench, we can freeze them where they are.
And our world benefits from that every day.
Case colors, micro, even nano thick films, are still chrystalline structures, and all the rules of their assembly, disassembly, and rearrangement apply to them.
We can cleave them. crush them, , oxidize them, dissolve them, any energy based transformation.
Oxygen atoms will do it one chrystal at a time, so we work to keep O2 away from our valuable oxides.
Chrystal chemistry is true nerddom run amok. I don't do the true scientists justice with my feeble explanations.
But the addition of energy, from whatever source, can excite polychrystalline compounds enough to break bonds, and try to become something else that is more stable, however slowly it happens. The lion always wants out of the cage.
I'd like to think there's a PhD Inorganic Chemist hereabout's to tell me I'm full of crap.
I want common ground with Dr. Gaddy, so, I'm amenable to saying that the desire of Iron to break out of it's cage and partner with more Oxygen atoms, is most quickly accomplished with the direct application of lots of energy. Like with a dirty rag.
