Metastable ions and energetics of the fragmentation reactions in double-focusing mass spectrometer

The energetics of the fragmentation reactions in double-focusing mass spectrometers are often clarified through the study of the metastable ions occuring in spectra. Ion kinetic energy spectra of the metastable ions allow an accurate determination of the kinetic energy released during an ion fragmentation and find many applications in the study of the interconversion of different forms of energy. The observations suggest that kinetic energy release is a useful method of structural cbaracterization of metastable ions. (author)