What is created by blasting a high beam of energy towards a molecule in electron ionization?

In the context of electron ionization, when a high beam of energy is directed at a molecule, it primarily causes the molecule to lose an electron, resulting in the formation of positive ions. This process begins when the energy from the beam exceeds the ionization energy of the molecule, leading to the ejection of an electron. As a result, the molecule becomes ionized and carries a positive charge due to the loss of an electron, thus creating a molecular ion comprised of positively charged fundamental units.

The distinction lies in the fact that electron ionization specifically targets the removal of electrons, which inherently leads to the formation of positive ions. Understanding this process is crucial for applications such as mass spectrometry, where these positive ions are analyzed to provide information about the molecular composition of the sample being studied.