Metastable ion

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DRAFT DEFINITION
Metastable ion
An ion that is formed with internal energy higher than the threshold for dissociation but with a lifetime great enough to allow it to exit the ion source and enter the mass spectrometer where it dissociates before detection.
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.

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