Ionization

From Mass Spec Terms

Gold Book

GOLD BOOK DEFINITION

IUPAC. Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. (the Gold Book). Compiled by A. D. McNaught and A.Wilkinson. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford (1997).

Ionization

The generation of one or more ions. It may occur, e.g. by loss of an electron from a neutral molecular entity, by the unimolecular heterolysis of such an entity into two or more ions, or by a heterolytic substitution reaction involving neutral molecules, such as:

http://www.nicmila.org/Gold/Output/SVG/I03183-1.png

http://www.nicmila.org/Gold/Output/SVG/I03183-2.png

http://www.nicmila.org/Gold/Output/SVG/I03183-3.png

The loss of an electron from a singly, doubly, etc. charged cation is called second, third, etc. ionization. This terminology is used especially in mass spectroscopy.

IUPAC Gold Book
Index of Gold Book Terms