Metastable ion
From Mass Spec Terms
| DRAFT DEFINITION |
| Metastable ion |
|---|
| An ion which is formed with internal energy slightly higher than the threshold for dissociation but with a lifetime long enough to allow it to exit the ion source and travel inside a mass spectrometer dissociating spontaneously before reaching the detector. |
| Considered between 2004 and 2006 but not included in the 2006 PAC submission |
| This is an unofficial draft definition presented for information and comment. |
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See additional comments on the Metastable ion discussion page (archive of discussion between 2004 and 2006) |
Orange Book Entry
An ion which is formed with sufficient excitation to dissociate spontaneously during its flight from the ion source to the detector.
