Why are most elements are not found in the free state in nature.
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Ok, pretend you are an element for a bit.
You either:
Really want a partner or
Have too many partners.
Basically, an element that has not enough partners (electrons) will want to take a partner from an element that has too many.
To do this, elements need to join, and this join is pretty permanent.
Joined elements mean they are not free.
The degree to which an element wants a partner is called it's electronegativity, or it's reactivity.
The elements which are found in free state in nature are usually not very reactive, because they have not joined with another element.
Elements that are reactive (like most on earth) are very hard to find in free state because they have already reacted with another element.
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