Search for the 3.4-[micro]m C-H spectral bands on low-albedo asteroids

A report of the detection of the C-H hydrocarbon band complex at 3.4/[micro]m in an asteroid spectrum, by D. P. Cruikshank and R. H. Brown (1987, Science 238, 183-184) is not confirmed by recent data of higher quality. Spectra of the same asteroid and six other low-albedo asteroids do not show this feature, which if present would indicate the presence of hydrocarbons and might link these asteroids with certain classes of carbonaceous meteorites. Key Words: asteroid composition; infrared observations; organic chemistry; spectroscopy; asteroid surfaces.