Search for alkanes of 15 to 30 carbon atom length.

A 50-gram sample of lunar fines was subjected to stepwise extraction in a mixture of benzene and methanol while intact, after being pulverized, and after being digested in hydrofluoric acid. None of these three extracts contained detectable quantities of C(15) to C(30) alkanes. No C(15) to C(30) alkane was present in this lunar sample at a concentration exceeding I part per billion by weight.