Ionization

n. process of separating or changing into ions; production of ions in a solution (also ionisation)

Ionization is the physical process of converting an atom or molecule into an ion by changing the difference between the number of protons and electrons. This process works slightly differently depending on whether an ion with a positive or a negative electric charge is being produced. A positive electric charge is produced when an electron bond to an atom or molecule absorbs enough energy from an external source to escape from the electric potential barrier that originally confined it, where the amount of energy required is called the Ionization potential. A negative electric charge is produced when a free electron collides with an atom and is subsequently caught inside the electric potential barrier, releasing any excess energy.
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Ionization /ion·iza·tion/ 1. any process by which a neutral atom or molecule gains or loses electrons, acquiring a net charge. 2. iontophoresis. [more]Ionization - Community and Resources

Noun
1. the condition of being dissociated into ions (as by heat or radiation or chemical reaction or electrical discharge); "the ionization of a gas"
(synonym) ionisation
(hypernym) condition, status
(derivation) ionize, ionise
2. the process of ionizing; the formation of ions by separating atoms or molecules or radicals or by adding or subtracting electrons from atoms by strong electric fields in a gas
(synonym) ionisation
(hypernym) natural process, natural action, action, activity
(derivation) ionize, ionise

The process of producing ions by the removal of electrons from, or the addition of electrons to, atoms or molecules. 1/4/73

Phénomène dans lequel un ion est produit par extraction ou addition d'électrons périphériques d'un atome. 1/4/73