The latest development in calculations of a continuum lowering (CL) in plas
mas is based on the employment of dicenter models of the plasma state. One
such theory-a percolation theory-calculated the CL defined as an absolute v
alue of energy at which an electron becomes bound to a macroscopic portion
of plasma ions (a quasi ionization). We derived analytically the value of t
he CL in the ionization channel, which was disregarded in the percolation t
heory. a quasimolecule, consisting of the two ion centers plus an electron,
can become ionized in the true sense of the word before the electron would
be shared by more than two ions. We derived the CL in this channel for an
arbitrary ratio of charges of the two Coulomb centers, while the specific v
alues of the CL in the percolation theory were obtained only for dicenters
consisting of two identical ions. We produced our results within a purely c
lassical approach, but proceeding from first principles. We also shelved th
at whether the electron is bound primarily by the smaller or by the larger
out of two positive charges makes a dramatic qualitative and quantitative d
ifference for this ionization channel. This difference is revealed due to o
ur allowance for all higher multipoles.