Unable to distinguish between hydroxyl radicals from water ice and
hydroxyl groups from methanol using lunar spectral detection --- A
problem of sufficient urgency and significance
Abstract
The absorption strength of hydroxyl radicals and hydroxyl groups are all
2.9μm, so it is easy to confuse hydroxyl radicals and hydroxyl groups
when interpreting M3 spectra data. I do not doubt the ability of LCROSS
to detect OH from water, but only suspect that LCROSS is unable to
distinguish between hydroxyl radicals from water ice and hydroxyl groups
from methanol because it ignores their spectral identity. Hydroxyl
radicals and hydroxyl groups are two different concepts: hydroxyl
radicals belong to the ion, whereas hydroxyl groups are the type of
functional groups in organic matter. We have reason to suspect hydroxyl
radicals that LCROSS claimed to discover on the Moon might actually be
hydroxyl groups from Moon’s methanol. It seems that all our
misconceptions about water ice in lunar polar craters might be due to
the neglect of the chemical role of lunar methanol. It is necessary to
conduct in-depth research in this field in the future.