| | Gas-Phase Ion Thermochemistry |
 | | The adiabatic ionization energy is the lowest energy required to effect the removal of an electron from a molecule or atom, and corresponds to the transition from the lowest electronic, vibrational and rotational level of the isolated molecule to the lowest electronic, vibrational and rotational level of the isolated ion. |
 | | The vertical ionization energy is the energy change corresponding to an ionization reaction leading to formation of the ion in a configuration which is the same as that of the equilibrium geometry of the ground state neutral molecule. |
 | | However, strictly speaking, ionization energies, appearance energies, and electron affinities are quantities which correspond to processes occurring at 0 K. To correctly derive enthalpies of formation of ions from these kinds of data requires explicit treatment of the differences in thermochemical values at 0 K and at higher temperatures. |
| webbook.nist.gov /chemistry/ion (14162 words) |