What is Ionization: Definition and 286 Discussions

Ionization or ionisation is the process by which an atom or a molecule acquires a negative or positive charge by gaining or losing electrons, often in conjunction with other chemical changes. The resulting electrically charged atom or molecule is called an ion. Ionization can result from the loss of an electron after collisions with subatomic particles, collisions with other atoms, molecules and ions, or through the interaction with electromagnetic radiation. Heterolytic bond cleavage and heterolytic substitution reactions can result in the formation of ion pairs. Ionization can occur through radioactive decay by the internal conversion process, in which an excited nucleus transfers its energy to one of the inner-shell electrons causing it to be ejected.

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  1. Daniel Petka

    Exploring Gamma Photon Ionization: Effects on Wavelength and Ion Creation

    Gamma rays scatter and ionize atoms, which stretches out their wavelength, right? How many ions could a single gamma ray photon create before it's absorbed due to the photoelectric effect?
  2. rodv92

    Decreasing gas breakdown distance in a spark gap with UV

    Hello ! I am currently investigating a technique that would allow several spark gaps to breakdown synchronously in an enclosed but not hermetical cavity, flushed with N2 at 1atm and ~25°C My idea was to use "indirect" photoionization (basically a synthetic fused quartz UV flash discharge inside...
  3. Evangeline101

    Auto Ionization of Water: Understanding the Equilibrium and Heat Transfer

    Homework Statement Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution [/B] I'm confused with this question... first off isn't heat being removed from the product side since the Kw value is on the product side? If I assume heat is being removed from the product side, wouldn't the reaction shift to...
  4. L

    How to write equations for salt dissolving in water/ionizing

    Homework Statement Write separate equations for each potassium salt (KH2PO4) dissolving in water and for the ionization reaction of the weak acid anion that each of these salts contains. Homework Equations None The Attempt at a Solution I just needed to clarify when it dissolves in water do...
  5. B

    Ionization energy of an electric field

    Hi, If I had a charged parallel plate capacitor which was not connected to a circuit (so the charges stay on the plates) creating an electric field strong enough to cause ionization, and I then fired a neutral atom between the charged plates (the charge starts outside of the electric field)...
  6. M

    I The manufacture of ionization smoke detectors

    Was reading the ATSDR Public Health Statement for Americium. It mentioned that higher-than-normal levels of americium could be in the soil near plants that manufacture these devices. It also said that if you live near such a facility you should "discourage your children from putting their hands...
  7. A

    Dissociation vs. Ionization: What's the Difference in Acids and Bases?

    Why we always say that acid dissociates in water while bases ionizes in water knowing that both gives ions? What is the difference between dissociation and ionization in this field?
  8. Jamison Lahman

    I Ionization and Nodes in the Hydrogen Wave Function

    As you can see from figure 4.4 from Griffiths book on QM, the radial wave function of the hydrogen atom has clear points where ## |R_{nl} (r)|^2 = 0 ##. My question is three fold: First, how is the electron able to traverse this region? My intuition is that with the uncertainty principle, the...
  9. M

    Beta radiation and Alpha radiation

    This might be a very stupid question :(, but I am confused. So I did an experiment. we had radioactive material which was emitting beta particles, and we were using geiger counter to measure pulses (ionized beta particles). We were supposed to measure the time it takes for the geiger counter to...
  10. N

    What is the Relationship Between Gas Ionisation and Temperature?

    Homework Statement When a gas is enclosed in an impermeable box and heated to a high temperature T, some of the neutral atoms lose an electron and become ions. If the number density of neutral atoms, ions and electrons is Na , N i and N e , respectively, these can be related to the average...
  11. Iron_Man_123

    Which of the following is not an example of ionizing radiati

    Homework Statement Homework Equations Between Radio Waves and Protons is where my confusion lies; Online I read that Radio waves are non ionizing but if that's the answer then how are protons ionizing? I mean it's no even included in the types of ionizing radiation here...
  12. P

    I Selection rules for multiphoton vs single-photon ionization

    Question: For ionization of a homonuclear diatomic, how do the selection rules differ for a nonresonant 2-photon ionization process and a 1-photon ionization process?
  13. J

    Ionization of Strong Acids: Does Concentration Matter?

    I know that a "strong acid" is one that ionizes completely in water. For example, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, etc are considered strong acids because they all completely neutralize. Now, this leads me to two questions: 1) Is the concentration of a strong acid irrelevant in...
  14. U

    A Calculating the ionization rate in the Interstellar medium?

    I hope putting this in the high energy section is the right section (if not, please let me know which would be more appropriate!) I felt this was appropriate since the work I am doing is high energy astrophysics. So I'm doing some research this summer, and my tasks were to take some data...
  15. Magnetic Boy

    Ionization Energy: Homework Problem Solving

    Homework Statement .[/B] Suppose the energy difference between the states n=2 and n=3 is E(eV), in an hydrogen atom. then the ionization potential in volts is: A) 13.2E B) 7.2E C) 3.2 E D) 0.56E Homework Equations En = -13.7 × Z^2÷n^2 The Attempt at a Solution I just know the ionization energy...
  16. U

    A Ionization Rate for Cosmic Rays, given the CR spectrum

    Hi all, so I am working on a presentation. What I have done so far was to calculate the cosmic ray spectrum (so given some data from Voyager 1 and PAMELA, I found the intensity as a function of the energy, in units of m^-2 (sr s MeV)^-1. Given this function, which is essentially J =...
  17. P

    Ionization Energy of Helium Atom | 24.6 eV

    Homework Statement The energy required to ionize a helium atom is 24.6 eV. The energy required to remove both the electrons from He atom would be?The Attempt at a Solution My textbook says- IP1= 24.6 eV IP 2= IP1*Z2 How can they relate the first ionization energy to the second one? The Bohr's...
  18. astrotizio

    A Stellar photosphere temperatures

    Hi all, Star surface temperature determines the occurrence of photosphere, where radiation can escape from star interior due to diminishing gas ionization and radiation absorption. If it was true the star photospheres should have the same temperature and Herzsprung-Russell diagram should be...
  19. CMATT

    Choose the element in each of the sets you would expect to have the highest IE2

    Homework Statement Choose the element in each of the sets you would expect to have the highest IE2. a. K b. Be c. Mg d. Ca e. Al Homework Equations The correct answer is K The Attempt at a Solution I do not understand why it is K ...I kind of guessed by using my Ionization Energy diagram...
  20. I

    B Does ionization change velocity of ion?

    If I add 1402kJ of energy to 1 mol of Nitrogen I will ionize it, as I understand it. So when I ionize it, will it actually change the velocity of the ionized atom? What about the overall temperature of the gas?
  21. E

    I Calculation of mean energy value of photons in recombination

    I am interested in the calculation of the mean energy value of CMB (Cosmic Microwave Background) photons from which the recombination is performed. The subject on French Wikipedia says : "Intuitively, one might say that recombination occurs when energy average of photons is of the order of the...
  22. Arubi Bushlee

    B How Do Electron Orbitals Work at Relativistic Speeds?

    So I was wondering... for no particular reason: Say you have a proton and your right arm is a particle accelerator. You throw the proton at about 90% the speed o' light. The you take your left arm which also happens to be a particle accelerator and you shoot an electron out right next to it...
  23. M

    Atomic Conservation in Ionized Hydrogen Gas

    Dear all, So I have a question concerning atomic conservation in an ionized hydrogen gas. So imagine we have ## H_2 ## initially. Later the gas is taken to an appreciable temperature such that at equilibrium the following species are present, ## e^-, \ H, \ H^+, \ H_2, \ H^-, \ \text{and} \...
  24. H

    Atomic radius and Ionization Energy Trends?

    My teacher was not too clear about this and from what I've gathered is if you're given two elements this is how you would figure out which one has a larger atomic radius or ionization energy, but I'm not sure if it's accurate Radius: Whichever one is in a lower period (more energy levels) has a...
  25. M

    When the electric field of the ionization chamber increase...

    Hello. I have a question about the relation between the number of the pair created in the ionization chamber by the radiation and the energy deposited in the counter. In the text, it is written that "The mean number of pairs created is proportional to the energy deposited in the counter."...
  26. M

    Would this work to decrease air resistance in sports cars?

    Okay so here is my idea, not really sure how well (if at all) it would work but I am wondering if it would be possible (assuming battery technology is good enough) to ionise air in front of a formula 1 car (or plane or whatever) giving it a charge (like the way lightning works) , then creating...
  27. C

    Electric Potential and Ionization Energy of Bohr Hydrogen

    I was studying for (first year) physics class and was playing around with the Bohr Model of Hydrogen. I tried calculating the electric potential at the Bohr radius r =5.29e-11 m, where V = \frac{e}{4 \pi \epsilon_0 r} (from the point-charge formula for electric potential) and I got 27.19 J/C...
  28. F

    How does the Pauli Exclusion principle explain ionization E?

    How does the Pauli-exclusion principle explain ionization energy trends? Is it just that as you move down the periodic table, the electrons experience repulsion between each other, and thus the atoms get bigger?
  29. L

    Temperature Dependence of Donor Ionization Energies

    Donor ionization energies are calculated via the hydrogen-like model and use the static dielectric constant and effective mass to modify the screening between the electron and the donor. Nice and simple, I get it. But in a material the ionized electron needs to go someplace - presumably the...
  30. N

    Hydrogen, Deuterium, and Tritium Ionization Spectra

    Hello Everybody, I'm looking into spectral analysis, and I couldn't find anything online about the spectra of different isotopes in discharge tubes (i.e. neon signs and the like ). Do different hydrogen isotopes have different spectra? If so, where could I find the data on the spectra? Thanks...
  31. X

    Ionization & photoelectrons in x-ray solid state detectors

    As far as i understand, this is the principle of solid state x-ray detectors: 1. A photon of energy E enters the detector and goes through photoelectric absorption 2. As a result a photoelectron with energy (E - Φ) is ejected, where Φ is the binding energy required to eject the photoelectron...
  32. J

    Copper K alpha lines, ionization potential, confused

    I'm a computer scientist who was recently given a book about quantum physics. I am confused about something in the book. Imagine shining an x-ray (produced by copper K alpha 1 emission) on an aluminium foil. I understand the basics of photoelectric effect. You shine the x-ray on target aluminium...
  33. S

    Understanding First Ionization Energy for Diatomic Gases

    When looking at ionization energy charts; specifically for diatomic gasses, are we looking at the energy to take 1 electron from atomic or diatomic gasses?
  34. P

    Ionization of hydrogen atom by sinusoidal electric field

    Homework Statement "Suppose that a hydrogen atom, initially in its ground state, is placed in an oscillating electric field ##\mathcal{E}_0 \cos(\omega t) \mathbf{\hat{z}}##, with ##\hbar \omega \gg -13.6\text{eV}##. Calculate the rate of transitions to the continuum." Homework Equations ##R =...
  35. M

    Is ionization potential a function of internuclear distance?

    Has there been a study which concludes that the ionization potential of a diatomic molecule depends on the internuclear distance? For example, let this molecule interact with an EM wave, and hence after the disturbance the molecule vibrates. If subsequently I send an ionizing radiation with...
  36. A

    Need Help understanding energy and enthelpy please

    I was studying about Ionization enthalpy and I found that in many books it is described in terms of enthalpy change while in others it is described in terms of energy, although in all of them the basic definition is almost same. It is the enthalpy change when ... or it is the energy required to...
  37. J

    How easy is it to ionize Nitrogen or oxygen with beta rays?

    Hello, over the past few days I've been looking at glowing ionization tubes on YouTube. there seems to be this innate correlation and association between ionization chambers and noble gasses, like xenon, argon and neon. i was wondering is it possible for oxygen or nitrogen to glow like them ...
  38. Telemachus

    Applications of multiple ionization cross sections

    Hi there. I'm working with this stuff of multiple ionization (in particular, double ionization). There are some references I've found on the applications in applied physics for this theoretical work, for example, plasma physics, accelerator physics, radiotherapy, which are listed in some papers...
  39. A

    How Do You Calculate Hydrogen Ionization Using a Metagalactic Radiation Field?

    Hey guys, so I'm working on a project and was given some slightly vague instructions. I am supposed to be using a metagalactic ionizing radiation field value (Gamma) to find the ionization of Hydrogen as a function of density. I'm coming to you guys with a vague description because I'm hoping...
  40. H

    Ionization and electron affinity

    I am confused about Ionization and electron affinity concept If energy is Required to add the electron to gaseous atom (Electron affinity - in case of noble gases) Then why further energy is required to Remove it? (Ionization energy) isnt this violation of Conservation of energy?
  41. J

    Ionization vs. Dissociation for acids & bases

    Homework Statement Hi everyone. I'm a relatively new high school chemistry teacher. I'm teaching modified arrhenius theory to my students, and I'm unclear on ionization vs. dissociation. Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution Here is my understanding: - Dissociation occurs when an ionic...
  42. F

    What are the ionization methods?

    Hello! can you tell me please what are the ionization methods available? I cannot find a list of them thanks!
  43. B

    Is Light exclusively an ionization process?

    The production of light is always accompanied by the emission of electrons. Example, when a candle flame emits light by the combustion of candle wax where the oxidation process of candle wax produces light which I believe can be considered an ionization effect or an oxidation process since...
  44. V

    Ionization Energy: Who Has the Highest?

    Homework Statement Which of the following atoms has the largest first ionization energy? Potassium, Zinc, Gallium, or Krypton? Homework Equations No equation The Attempt at a Solution Krypton has the largest first ionization energy, but I was wondering how this question would be...
  45. R

    Saha equation partition function for Argon?

    This question is in regards to the degeneracy of states for an Argon atom with just one missing electron. For hydrogen the problem of finding the partition function depends on finding the the ionized state of hydrogen divided by the non-ionized state... (please see Saha equation ->...
  46. gracy

    Ionization ENERGY -Why removal of electron from gaseous atom

    Why ionization energy is defined as the energy required to remove the outermost, or highest energy, electron from a neutral atom in the gas phase. Why can't we remove electrons from a solid,can we? If not ,what's the reason?I think we can not remove electrons from a solid because in gas phase...
  47. Misha Kuznetsov

    How are electrons accelerated in electron impact ionization?

    Hello, I just have a quick question about electron impact ionization. How exactly are the electrons accelerated? Are they attracted by an anode?
  48. CAH

    Electron-Electron Interaction & Photon-Electron Interaction?

    I learned that photons can exite and ionize electrons in an atom, bring them to higher energy level etc. However I've seen a few questions on electrons bombarding electrons in an atom and exiting the orbital electrons to higher energy level. Is this the same as the photoelectric effect when...
  49. CAH

    Electrons absorb exact energy photons so how is Ek possible

    Hello! I've read that electrons can only absorb photons of exactly the right amount of energy to move to a higher energy level, if its to little or too much then it doesn't absorb it at all, so my question: How can electrons be liberated from an atom with Kinetic energy when they can't absorb...
  50. V

    Calculation of total ionization cross section

    Hai all, I need some help in understanding the calculation of total ionization cross section. As per the literatures, for a gas capable of multiple ionization, the total cross section is a charge-weighted sum of partial ionization cross sections. To be more elaborate, consider the case of...
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