How does ionization occur

Ionizing radiation is used to create the ions used in mass spectrometry, [6] a powerful technique for identifying chemical compounds. It is also the basis of the operation of a Geiger counter, which emits "clicks" for every particle of ionizing radiation detected. Fossil Fuels. Nuclear Fuels. Acid Rain. Climate Change. Climate Feedback. Ocean Acidification. Rising Sea Level. Ionization Figure 1. Simplified ionization process where an electron is removed from an atom.

May 14, Compendium of Chemical Terminology [Online], 2nd ed. July 31, Electron Affinity [Online]. Ionization Energy [Online]. May 19, Harris, Quantitative Chemical Analysis, 8th edition. Possibilities include: strong electric fields, Electromagnetic Radiation , Ionizing nuclear Radiation , etc. In gases a large enough electric field strips electrons away from atoms. The electrons are then accelerated through the medium.

If there is a sufficient path length, the electrons may gain enough kinetic energy to produce secondary electrons by impact ionization, leading to an avalanche type breakdown.

A very similar process may occur in solids, particularly semiconductor devices. In certain molten materials and aqueous solutions the unit chemical cell is already dissociated into ions, e.

The ions in these materials will support conduction, but these ions already existed before the application of an electric field.

Electrons may be excited by the absorption of photons quanta of electromagnetic energy. Photons of visible and ultraviolet light have energies similar to those required to liberate electrons from many materials.

Various forms of nuclear and atomic radiation can be detected by their ability to ionize matter. Hecht, E. Brooks Cole. Login: Guest. DOI: View in A-Z Index. Ionization by Electric Fields.