Chemi-ionization is the formation of an ion through the reaction of a gas phase atom or molecule with an atom or molecule in an excited state while also creating new bonds.[1][2]
This process is helpful in mass spectrometry because it creates unique bands that can be used to identify molecules.[3] This process is extremely common in nature as it is considered the primary initial reaction in flames.[citation needed]
The term chemi-ionization was coined by Hartwell F. Calcote in 1948 in the Third Symposium on Combustion and Flame, and Explosion Phenomena.[4] The Symposium performed much of the early investigation into this phenomenon in the 1950s. The majority of the research on this topic was performed in the 1960s and '70s. It is currently seen in many different ionization techniques used for mass spectrometry.[5][6]
where G is the excited state species (indicated by the super-scripted asterisk), and M is the species that is ionized by the loss of an electron to form the radicalcation (indicated by the super-scripted "plus-dot").
The most common example of chemi-ionization occurs in hydrocarbon flame. The reaction can be represented as
Chemi-ionization has been postulated to occur in the hydrogen rich atmospheres surrounding stars. This type of reaction would lead to many more excited hydrogen atoms than some models account for. This affects our ability to determine the proper optical qualities of solar atmospheres with modeling.[9]
^Dyke, John M.; Shaw, Andrew M.; Wright, Timothy G. (1994). "Study of Chemiionization Reactions in the O + 2-Butyne Reaction Mixture". The Journal of Physical Chemistry. 98 (25): 6327–6331. doi:10.1021/j100076a016. ISSN0022-3654.
^Chen, Lee Chuin; Yu, Zhan; Hiraoka, Kenzo (2010). "Vapor phase detection of hydrogen peroxide with ambient sampling chemi/chemical ionization mass spectrometry". Analytical Methods. 2 (7): 897. doi:10.1039/c0ay00170h. ISSN1759-9660.
^Mason, Rod S.; Williams, Dylan R.; Mortimer, Ifor P.; Mitchell, David J.; Newman, Karla (2004). "Ion formation at the boundary between a fast flow glow discharge ion source and a quadrupole mass spectrometer". Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry. 19 (9): 1177. doi:10.1039/b400563p. ISSN0267-9477.
^Vinckier, C.; Gardner, Michael P.; Bayes, Kyle D. (1977). "A study of chemi-ionization in the reaction of oxygen atoms with acetylene". The Journal of Physical Chemistry. 81 (23): 2137–2143. doi:10.1021/j100538a001. ISSN0022-3654.
^Fontijn, A.; Miller, W.J.; Hogan, J.M. (1965). "Chemi-ionization and chemiluminescence in the reaction of atomic oxygen with C2H2, C2D2, and C2H4". Symposium (International) on Combustion. 10 (1): 545–560. doi:10.1016/S0082-0784(65)80201-6. ISSN0082-0784.
^Mihajlov, Anatolij A.; Ignjatović, Ljubinko M.; Srećković, Vladimir A.; Dimitrijević, Milan S. (2011). "CHEMI-IONIZATION IN SOLAR PHOTOSPHERE: INFLUENCE ON THE HYDROGEN ATOM EXCITED STATES POPULATION". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 193 (1): 2. arXiv:1105.2134. Bibcode:2011ApJS..193....2M. doi:10.1088/0067-0049/193/1/2. ISSN0067-0049.