Optical Constants Of Kerogen From 0.15 To 40 μm: Comparison with Meteoritic Organics

A vacuum evaporation technique has been used to produce thin, optical quality films of samples of Type II kerogen and of insoluble organic residue from the Murchison meteorite. Using these films, optical constants have been measured from 0.15 to 40 μm for kerogen, and from 2.5 to 40 μm for the Murchison residue. The infrared absorption properties of these materials show many similarities, although Murchison residue is more opaque throughout the infrared than is kerogen, and shows no distinct aliphatic absorptions.