Lack of heavy alkanes in Apollo 11 and 12 lunar soil sample

Cordes, E.

Meinschein, W. G.

Shiner, V. J., Jr.

English

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Abstract
	 3
Introduction
	
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AbSITVl CT
benzene-methanol extracts of lurer fine sample3 //100136 (50,,)j,
,r-200101 (11g), 112001 1 32 (9g) 2 and §1')033;6 (5g) vere serara Lely
obtained on the intact, pulverized, and hydrofluoric skid digc^ted sar*;??.o:.
These extracts did not contain detectable quantities of C 15 to C30 eDal'al::.
IJo C15 to C30 alkane was present in these extracts at .,oncE•ntrations
excoedinC 1 part per billion by weight.
i
4Introduction
All:anes are saturated orGaric comr.owids that r1re composed solely of
carbon and hydro-en atoins. The.-,c hydrocar •^)orr. Arc ubiquitous but minor
constituents of the vaxeu, fats, and oils of plants umd aniUZIS (1). Because
alkanes are less readily assimilated than other food substance-c and Lire
chemically less reactive than rowt biological compounds, alkanes are profer-
entially preserved relative to other organic materials , in sedimenUiry environ-
cents. Natural gas and petroleum deposits co=.only appear to be concentrates
of alkanes partially derived from preexistent organs ;ins (2). Wny a3l:anes
from petroleum have molecular structures that are either identical or similar
to allfanAs and related compoi.uade in plants, anirails, soils, marine sediments,
and sed: rnz, ntary rocks (3). 11e marked structural and distributlo.l l resen.-
bla:ices bet xieen certain alkanes in rocks and compounds in organisms have led
to the widespread use of alhanes aB molecular or ehemiccl fossils (4) and to
the reeormaendation that C15 to C30 a:lkunes be employed in exobiological
research (5).This report deals with a• search for C15 to C 
3 
alkancs in
Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 lunar samples.
Experimental
Repeated tests established that all solvents, reagents, and apparatuacs
were free of detectable amounts of organic contaminants with vapor pressures
equivalent to C 15 to C3c, alkanes. The gas--liquid chronatograph at the
scrnsitivity settings used to monitor contaru.nation gave 5 to 12 per cent of
•	 w
fiLU Casale defle- :tiou with 10 7 g of pristane (2, 6, 10, 14 - te•Etiaraetliyl•-
pentadecLiane) for sarmle x/10036 and 10 Per cent of frill scale deflection with
-310 g of pr:ist une for	 X112001,31, ;u12001, 02, and x,`12033,,6, S- —itivii;;r
.^....«..r-.. _	 _	 -s..^ta^.aw..,tdis	 ....	 ,..,.:.^.a..w ^.. .....ww".r1ir+.®.rwa-:...ro..^tiswr^As.^c...
	 a:.^.aH...,^«rrvisw. ^...►...^^..^ai+^... , .. ....
5
i
eheckv were rim on standard solutions of pri::tt
liquid chromatogra n of a lunar extract ;airipla.
Each sE r;ple of lunar fines were initially
mixture of benzene and methanol in a srecia.l1y
ine 'before and after each Cz,s-
extracted with an azeo •eraP is
designed combii:at3.on Soxhlet
extractor and ball mill (6). Throughout theae extractions, a po;,itive
pressuru of nitrogen was maintained iii the cystem. Nitrogen flowed through i
a drying tower filled with silica gel into the extractor, and the nitrogen
stream was exhausted through a bubbler tube with a 1 cm head of mercury.
The anaaysea of the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 fines were carried out in the I
same manner, but the extraction period has reduced for the Apollo 12 fines
because the nc-gative results on the Apollo 11 sample indicated that prolonged
extractions we F iaMcccssa.ry.
Each extrac.tion was accomplished similarly. After approximately 500 ml
i
of solvent per hour had been refluxed through the lunar fines for a period of
24. 170 hours, a 200 ml smPle of solvent was collected as it f:loved from the
extractor. The volume of this sample was re uced to several microliters by
removal of solvent in a stream of filtered nitrogen at 40°C, and all of the
residual sample t1utt could be taken into a 10-^.1 syringe was injected into a,
Apiezon L coated	 gas-liquid chromatographic col=. No organic
material except solvent was detedted in this sample. The e,xtraccor was then
disconnected from the reflux condenser and distillation flask, sealed with
two glass stopper: , and rolled for 12-•48 hours on a• ball mill.. All the
extraction colvenrt was transferred from the distillation Uask, and the
v0ir ne of thu Extract was reduced by removal of aolvent In a stream of
filter ed nitrogen at 400C to approxi.:Lately 1CO1. After a 21 portion of
the remain.""-1g, extract . f4sled„to yie:l.d dat•,ectpbl e C to C, al.kane peaks In
^5	 30
tl)
I
the rzc chron,%t,ograph, the voluume of the extract was further reduced to it, fr;;r
microliters, which very in jectctd i »l;o the Ca.c clirrm ituo:r-caph. Only solvers;;
pea;:. were observed in the cb2-0n.itograrrs of this extract of the sufferer;^
zarples of Lunar fines.
The extractor, containing each ball,-"illed lu:iar snm ple, was reconnected
to the reflw: condenser and dint llaLion !'lask, and azeotropic benzene and
menthanol were refluxed through the pulverized -M ple at a rate of apin ox. mat c-11
500 ml per hour for 12-72 hours. Chroma.to jra.ms of the individual extracts of
each of the pulverized lunar sample, also, indicated an absence of organic
cormounds with vapor pressures equivalent to 
C15 
to C30 alhanes.
Each pulverized lunar sample was separately transferred from the
extractor to a 2-liter Teflon beaker with benzene, and 500a of b8 per cent
hyci ,ofluoric acid was slowly added with continuous s •!:irring until reactions
ceased. The beaker was warvied to 800C with stirring until most of the
benzene layer evaporated, then the reaction mixture was transferred to a
2-liter reparatory funnel containing 400 ml of distilled water. This mixture
was shaken thoroughly with thre=e successive 200-m1 portion:; of benzene. These
benzene extracts were composed and concentrated. Thece extracts did not con-
tain detectable quantities of volatile organic miteria.ls.
Discussion and Surmary
The lunar fines analyzed contained no C15 to C30 alItane at a concentraticn
exceeding 1 ppb by weight, whereas the concentrations of 
C15 
to C'30 alkanes
in roc^c;: from the surface of the earth con only exceed. 100 ppM by weiC.U.
These resi.iits provide no ev deice that l=ife tia,s ever exi;;ted on the r .on.
"cientific publications have reported these revolts (7). 1171 lunar sa.rr^les
avi. - ,-,d by ol.cr group have been returned to the C • .xa.tcr cf lunar samples at
the Yann.ed Sprice.craft CeWber.
Moor a ...
7
{l. G. Moinc:rlicin
1)upartrrent of t:,ol+o^^,
Indiana University, B•lo.lnini;trll
Eugene Cordes, V. J. Shiner, J;•.
Ders.r tmcnt of Cl x mi stry,
Indiana University
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	 1► y^.rp^^. w.. n-w^a.s+•^.nw ...--
r^
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Proposal title - Search for C15 to C30 alkanes in lunar soils Final report

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