fragmentation 

https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.F02506
  1. The heterolytic cleavage of a molecule according to the general reaction:
    where a-b is an electrofuge and X is a nucleofuge (which may emerge from the reaction in combined form), and the middle group affords the unsaturated fragment c=d. For example,
  2. The breakdown of a radical into a diamagnetic molecule or ion and a smaller radical, e.g.
  3. The breakdown of a radical ion in a mass spectrometer or in solution, forming an ion of lower molar mass and a radical, e.g.
See also: fragmentation reaction (in mass spectrometry)
Source:
PAC, 1994, 66, 1077. (Glossary of terms used in physical organic chemistry (IUPAC Recommendations 1994)) on page 1116 [Terms] [Paper]
Citation: 'fragmentation' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.F02506 RIS BibTex EndNote
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Last revised: February 24, 2014