Term: parent ion
https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.P04406

Definition:
An electrically charged molecular moiety which may dissociate to form fragments, one or more of which may be electrically charged, and one or more neutral species. A parent ion may be a molecular ion or an electrically charged fragment of a molecular ion.

Related Terms:
1) moiety (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.M03968).

Source: Orange Book, 2nd ed., p. 205 (https://media.iupac.org/publications/analytical_compendium/)

Citation: 'parent ion' 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.P04406

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