Comment on “Methane on Mars: A product of H2O photolysis in the presence of CO” by A. Bar-Nun and V. Dimitrov

Bar-Nun and Dimitrov [Bar-Nun, A., Dimitrov, V., 2006. Icarus 181, 320–322] suggested a sequence of reactions to form methane on Mars. These reactions are based on the study of products in the N2–CO–H2O mixture irradiated at 185 nm. The suggested scheme was not quantitatively justified by chemical kinetics. One of the key reactions is effectively blocked by O2 in the martian atmosphere, and another key reaction does not exist. There are no pathways for effective formation of methane in the martian atmosphere.