Chinese scientists discover water molecules in moon sample

Beijing: A team of Chinese scientists has identified in a lunar sample retrieved by Chang e 5 a kind of mineral enriched with water in its molecular s...

Beijing: A team of Chinese scientists has identified in a lunar sample retrieved by Chang'e-5 a kind of mineral enriched with water in its molecular structure.

An increasing body of evidence has pointed to the existence of water or water ice on the moon's surface, but it is more likely to be in the form of hydroxyl groups.

Scientists led by those from the Institute of Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences have discovered a hydrated mineral that contains up to six molecules of crystalline water.

According to a study published recently in the journal Nature Astronomy, water molecules weigh as much as about 41 percent of the total mass.

The researchers said this discovery signifies the first direct detection of molecular water within the lunar regolith, shedding light on an actual form of water molecules and ammonium on the moon's surface.