ionotope

Ionotope is a term that appears primarily in speculative, niche, or fictional contexts and does not have a single, established meaning in mainstream science. It is sometimes formed from ion and isotope or ion and topos (place) to denote a concept related to ions with a particular isotopic structure or spatial locus. Because of its variable usage, the exact meaning depends on the author and the field.

In analytic chemistry and mass spectrometry discussions, ionotope has occasionally been used as a proposed descriptor for a hypothetical layer or subset of ions distinguished by their mass-to-charge ratio or isotopic composition within a sample. However, this use is not widely adopted in published literature, and standard terminology such as isotopologue, isotopomer, or ion fragment is typically preferred.

In science fiction or popular science writing, ionotope is more often treated as a fictional device or field that can selectively manipulate, concentrate, or transport ions based on isotopic identity or charge, sometimes envisioned to enable precise separation or energy storage. Such uses are speculative and not based on current technology.

Etymology and related terms: The word combines ion with topos, a suffix from Greek meaning place. See also isotope, ion, mass spectrometry, isotopologue, and ion trap.