Ion formed by the association of a cation with a molecule
\(\ce{M}\).
Examples: \([\ce{M + Na}]^{+}\), \([\ce{M + K}]^{+}\), and \([\ce{M + NH4}]^{+}\).
Notes: - Cationization with, for instance, \(\ce{Ag}\), leads to high yields of some positive ion fragments or molecular ions. Each ion has a mass given by the sum of the mass of the parent molecule or fragment and the mass of the added metal atom or atoms. The \(\ce{Ag}\) can be used either as the substrate upon which the molecules are deposited or in the form of a sub-monolayer sputtered onto the molecules already on a surface.
- \(\ce{NH4^{+}}\) can be used as well as metals to cationize molecules.
Source:
PAC, 2020, 92, 1781. 'Glossary of methods and terms used in surface chemical analysis (IUPAC Recommendations 2020)' on page 1837 (https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2019-0404)