EXPERIMENTAL DATA ON THE THERMAL REDUCTION OF PHOSPHORUS AND IRON AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE FOR THE INTERPRETATION OF THE IMPACT REWORKING OF LUNAR MATERIALS

Abstract

Experiments simulating impact melting and vaporization were performed to study variations in the valence state of P on the Moon. It was shown that P changes its valence and is partially transformed from oxidized (phosphate) to reduced (P0) species at high temperatures typical of the impact process. The reduction of P occurs concurrently with Fe reduction from silicates. The metallization of Fe and P is due to the effect of thermal reduction only. This supports the hypothesis of R. Hunter and L. Taylor that P0 produced from lunar phosphates (apatite and whitlockite) interacted with reduced Fe to form typical P-bearing minerals of lunar highland rocks, schreibersite and Fe-P alloys. © Pleiades Publishing, Inc. 2006.