ionization

(noun)

Any process that leads to the dissociation of a neutral atom or molecule into charged particles (ions).

Related Terms

Examples of ionization in the following topics:

  • Ionization Energy

    • This property is also referred to as the ionization potentia and is measured in volts.
    • Large atoms or molecules have low ionization energy, while small molecules tend to have higher ionization energies.
    • The ionization energy may be an indicator of the reactivity of an element.
    • Based on these two principles, the easiest element to ionize is francium and the hardest to ionize is helium.
    • This video explains the periodic trends in ionization energy....periodicity.

  • Increased Cancer Risk from Radiation

    • Up to 10 percent of invasive cancers are related to radiation exposure, including both ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation.
    • Up to 10 percent of invasive cancers are related to radiation exposure, including both ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation.
    • Additionally, the vast majority of non-invasive cancers are non-melanoma skin cancers caused by non-ionizing ultraviolet radiation.
    • Exposure to ionizing radiation is known to increase the future incidence of cancer, particularly leukemia.
    • The most widely accepted model posits that the incidence of cancer due to ionizing radiation increases linearly with effective radiation dose at a rate of 5.5 percent per sievert.

  • Radiation

    • Ionizing radiation could be a lethal health hazard if used inappropriately.
    • High-energy X-rays are a form of ionizing energy allowing to irradiate large packages and pallet loads of medical devices.

  • Measuring Radiation Exposure

    • Radiation dosimetry is the measurement and calculation of the absorbed dose from exposure to indirect and direct ionizing radiation.
    • Radiation dosimetry is the measurement and calculation of the absorbed dose in matter and tissue resulting from exposure to indirect and direct ionizing radiation.
    • It is a scientific subspecialty in the fields of health physics and medical physics that is focused on the calculation of internal and external doses from ionizing radiation.
    • There are several ways of measuring doses from ionizing radiation, including personal dosimeters and ionization chambers.

  • Acid-Base Properties of Water

    • Water is capable of acting as either an acid or a base and can undergo self-ionization.
    • Under standard conditions, water will self-ionize to a very small extent.
    • Because this is a special equilibrium constant, specific to the self-ionization of water, it is denoted KW; it has a value of 1.0 x 10−14.
    • The self-ionization of water produces hydronium and hydroxide ions in solution.
    • Explanation of self-ionization of water and the formation of hydronium and hydroxide ions.

  • Genetic Defects from Radiation

    • Ionizing radiation from fallout can cause genetic effects, birth defects, cancer, cataracts, and other organ and tissue defects.
    • Intermediate stage: from 10–12 weeks; deaths in this period are from ionizing radiation in the median lethal range.
    • Ionizing radiation from fallout can cause genetic effects, birth defects, cancer, cataracts, and other organ and tissue defects.
    • By directly or indirectly ionizing, radiation can affect a cell's ability to conduct repair and reproduction.

  • Radiation Detection

    • Different types of radiation detectors exist ; gaseous ionization detectors, semiconductor detectors, and scintillation detectors are the most common.
    • Gaseous ionization detectors use the ionizing effect of radiation upon gas-filled sensors.
    • If a particle has enough energy to ionize a gas atom or molecule, the resulting electrons and ions cause a current flow, which can be measured.
    • A scintillation detector is created by coupling a scintillator -- a material that exhibits luminescence when excited by ionizing radiation -- to an electronic light sensor, such as a photomultiplier tube (PMT) or a photodiode.

  • Dosimetry

    • Radiation dosimetry is the measurement and calculation of the absorbed dose resulting from the exposure to ionizing radiation.
    • Radiation dosimetry is the measurement and calculation of the absorbed dose in matter and tissue resulting from the exposure to indirect and direct ionizing radiation.
    • There are several ways of measuring the dose of ionizing radiation.
    • Outside the United States, the most widely used type of personal dosimeter is the film badge dosimeter, which uses photographic emulsions that are sensitive to ionizing radiation.
    • This ionization chamber was used in the South Atlantic Anomaly Probe project.

  • Mass Spectrometry to Measure Mass

    • First, the sample is ionized.
    • Once the sample is ionized, it is passed through some form of electric or magnetic field.
    • There are a wide variety of techniques for ionizing and detecting compounds.
    • The ion source is the part of the mass spectrometer that ionizes the compound.
    • The components of the sample are ionized by one of a variety of methods, such as the ionizing filament.

  • Biological Effects of Radiation

    • Ionizing radiation is generally harmful, even potentially lethal, to living organisms.
    • Ionizing radiation is generally harmful, even potentially lethal, to living organisms.
    • Some effects of ionizing radiation on human health are stochastic, meaning that their probability of occurrence increases with dose, while the severity is independent of dose.
    • Quantitative data on the effects of ionizing radiation on human health are relatively limited compared to other medical conditions because of the low number of cases to date and because of the stochastic nature of some of the effects.
    • Two pathways of exposure to ionizing radiation exist.