ionization potential

American  

noun

Physics.

1. the energy required to remove an electron from an atom.

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ionization potential British  

noun

1.  I.  the energy usually required to remove an electron from an atom, molecule, or radical, usually measured in electronvolts Compare electron affinity

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Etymology

Origin of ionization potential

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

As calculations had predicted, relativistic effects make the ionization potential of lawrencium even lower, relative to its lighter homologue lutetium, than the usual periodic trends would imply.

From Nature

Still, in 2016, a team working at the GSI was able to measure the ionization potential of single atoms of nobelium, element 102, that had a half-life of 51.2 seconds10.

From Nature

“The very low ionization potential is wonderfully supportive of this idea,” says Matthias Schädel, who headed the JAEA's super-heavy-element group until his retirement last week.

From Nature