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| | Gas-Phase Ion Thermochemistry |
 | | Below the potential energy curves are hypothetical probabilities for ionization as a function of energy for cases (a), (b), and (c), and, at bottom, shapes of observed photoelectron bands for the three corresponding cases. |
 | | Ionization of a molecule by photoionization or by energetic electrons (sometimes called "electron impact") is governed by the Franck-Condon principle, which states that the most probable ionizing transition will be that in which the positions and momenta of the nuclei are unchanged. |
 | | 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) |
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