Towards an understanding of the mechanism of electron-capture dissociation: a historical perspective and modern ideas

Electron-capture dissociation (ECD) is a new fragmentation technique that utilizes ion-electron recombination reactions. The latter have parallels in other research fields; revealing these parallels helps to understand the ECD mechanism. An overview is given of ECD-related phenomena and of the history of ECD discovery and development. Current views on the ECD mechanism are discussed using both published and new examples.