Dissociative recombination is a chemical process in which a positive polyatomic ion recombines with an electron, and as a result, the neutral molecule dissociates. This reaction is important for interstellar and atmospheric chemistry.

In astrophysics, dissociative recombination is one of the main mechanisms by which molecules are broken down, and other molecules are formed. The existence of dissociative recombination is possible due to the vacuum of the interstellar medium.