Mechanism
The attachment of a low energy electron can give rise to two possible reactions for the compound, as shown below. Either the compound attaches an electron to form a radical anion,
- ,
or the compound fragments, resulting in electron capture dissociation (ECD). ECD forms an anion fragment and a radical fragment
- .
Fragmentation in ECI has been studied by tandem mass spectrometry.
Read more about this topic: Electron-capture Mass Spectrometry
Famous quotes containing the word mechanism:
“The law isn’t justice. It’s a very imperfect mechanism. If you press exactly the right buttons and are also lucky, justice may show up in the answer. A mechanism is all the law was ever intended to be.”
—Raymond Chandler (1888–1959)
“The two elements the traveler first captures in the big city are extrahuman architecture and furious rhythm. Geometry and anguish. At first glance, the rhythm may be confused with gaiety, but when you look more closely at the mechanism of social life and the painful slavery of both men and machines, you see that it is nothing but a kind of typical, empty anguish that makes even crime and gangs forgivable means of escape.”
—Federico García Lorca (1898–1936)
“A mechanism of some kind stands between us and almost every act of our lives.”
—Sarah Patton Boyle, U.S. civil rights activist and author. The Desegregated Heart, part 3, ch. 2 (1962)