collision-induced dissociation (CID)

In a collision between an ion and a neutral species, a portion of the ion translational energy is converted to internal energy.  This internal energy causes dissociation of the ion into smaller fragment ions and can also cause changes in the ion charge. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) is also known as collisionally activated dissociation. Collision-induced dissociation  is common in MS/MS experiments.