Analysis and characterization of the chemical constituents (organic) of
carbonaceous chondrites, including the possible mechanism of their
formation, may be expected to improve methods of analyzing samples from
the Moon and planets and of interpreting remote automated biological
analyses on the planets’ surfaces.
Carbon has been detected in all meteorites analyzed; however, both the
amount and forms present vary considerably. Among the forms of meteorite
carbon are diamond, graphite, cohenite (Fe,Ni,Co)₃C, moissanite SiC,
calcite CaCO₃, dolomite (Ca,Mg)CO₃, bruennerite (Mg,Fe)CO₃. A summary of
the results of carbon analyses on large numbers of meteorites is given
in table I ([ref.26]).