Ionization of an isolated large molecule is discussed as a prototype of charge separation, in which the electron is removed in the absence of external environmental effects. The high density of electronic Rydberg states and the large distance over which the electron is transported suggests a picture where the motion of the electron is taken to be incoherent with strong damping due to coupling to the rovibrational modes. The theory predicts a delay between activation and ionization, which has already been observed in both large molecules and in clusters