 This can be accomplished through chemical means such as smelting or through electrolytic reduction, as in the case of aluminium.Geometallurgy combines the geologic sciences with extractive metallurgy and mining.In 2018, led by Chemistry and Biochemistry professor Bradley D. Smith, University of Notre Dame researchers "invented a new class of molecules whose shape and size enable them to capture and contain precious metal ions," reported in a study published by the Journal of the American Chemical Society.