Impact-processed nitrogen-bearing organics in Chang’e-5 and Chang’e-6 lunar regolith
- Mingtan Dong
- Jialong Hao
- H. G. Changela
- Hengci Tian
- Shengxuan Huang
- Yuyang He
- Xiaochun Liu
- Xiaoguang Li
- Sen Hu
- Wei Yang
- Yangting Lin
2026-04-08
The Moon has preserved a unique record of organic matter delivered and reworked by asteroid and comet impacts. Here, we report diverse organic phases (particle-like, adhering-like, and inclusion-like) on the surfaces of lunar regolith grains returned by the Chang’e-5 and Chang’e-6 missions. They are predominantly amorphous carbon–like, containing N- and O-bearing functionalities and amide (─CONH─) linkages. The lunar organics show δD, δ 13 C, and δ 15 N values more negative than those of insoluble organic matter reported in carbonaceous chondrites and asteroids, consistent with impact-induced evaporation-condensation and surface reworking. The presence of solar wind implantation signatures in the organics supports long-term exposure on the lunar surface. Together, these findings suggest that the impacts both delivered and chemically processed organic matter on the lunar surface, generating N- and O-bearing functionalities.