What absorbs at 1016 cm⁻¹ in an FTIR spectrum?
A band near 1016 cm⁻¹ can point to several functional groups. Below are the most likely assignments, ranked by how much published evidence supports each — every one traceable to literature (DOI) and cross-validated against our 130,000+ reference spectra and knowledge graph.
Backed by 8 cited sources
Quick answer
A band near 1016 cm⁻¹ is usually interpreted by checking which functional groups repeatedly co-occur there in the literature, then confirming at least one or two additional peaks in the same sample. This page ranks those assignments by accumulated evidence rather than by a single fixed textbook rule.
Possible functional-group assignments
| Functional group | Supporting facts | Cited sources | Top confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| C-O single bond | 11 | 11 | 1.0 |
| Methoxy (OCH3) | 9 | 9 | 1.0 |
| Methacrylate | 9 | 9 | 1.0 |
| Acetate | 9 | 9 | 1.0 |
| Hydroxyl (O-H) | 5 | 4 | 1.0 |
| Carbohydrate | 3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Amide | 3 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Silicon-oxygen (Si-O) | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Silanol (Si-OH) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Hydrogen bond | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Siloxane (Si-O-Si) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Alkyl C-H | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Phosphorus | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Phosphate (PO4) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| N h | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| N c o | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Water (H2O) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Carboxyl (COOH) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Nucleic acid | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| C=n | 1 | 1 | 0.9 |
| Silicon (Si) | 1 | 1 | 0.7 |
| N-O bond | 1 | 0 | 1.0 |
| Secondary amine | 1 | 0 | 1.0 |
| C n single bond | 1 | 0 | 1.0 |
Ranking reflects accumulated literature evidence, not a single fixed rule. Always confirm against your sample context.
Possible materials
| Material | Supporting peaks | Overlapping groups | Cited sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| citric acid | 1016, 1725, 1732 | Methacrylate, Acetate, Methoxy (OCH3) | 1 |
| chitosan | 1016, 1650, 1655 | Acetate, Methacrylate, C-O single bond | 1 |
| chitin | 1016, 1650, 1655 | Methacrylate, Acetate, C-O single bond | 1 |
Materials are shown only when the same literature pool supports this band and at least one additional characteristic peak.
Spectrum logic
This band becomes meaningful only when read with its neighboring peaks. In practice, analysts first look at the assignments above, then check whether the same sample also shows other peaks expected for the same structural motif. A lone band near 1016 cm⁻¹ is usually not enough for material identification by itself.
Real-world usage
This type of query is common in polymer identification, unknown plastic screening, QC troubleshooting, recycled-material verification, and literature-backed peak assignment review.
Common mistakes
- Treating one isolated band as proof of a material without checking at least one or two supporting peaks.
- Ignoring overlap: multiple functional groups can contribute near the same wavenumber.
- Skipping validation when additives, blends, oxidation, or contamination may distort the spectrum.
Verification advice
When ambiguity remains, validate the hypothesis with DSC, GC-MS, or TGA, especially for blends, degraded samples, and filled polymers.
Literature behind these assignments
-
Carbohydrate confidence 1.0
“cm-1 As seen in previous publications, transmission elecThe IR bands at 1016 (11) on behalf of tron microscopy (TEM) images of Agsbox showed a cellulose and hemicellulose changed after Agsbox cm-1 'bunch of grapes' cluster of Ag nanoparticl”
Physical, biological and chemical characterisation of wood treated with silver nanoparticles DOI: 10.1007/s10570-019-02416-x -
Nucleic acid confidence 1.0
“It can be seen ure 6 that the characteristic spectral feature of Z-DNA remained, which essentially resemin Figure 6 that the characteristic spectral feature of Z-DNA remained, which essentially bles that of the pure GC-DNA, having the Z-DNA”
Assessing B-Z DNA Transitions in Solutions via Infrared Spectroscopy DOI: 10.3390/biom13060964 -
Carboxyl (COOH) confidence 1.0
“FT-IR analysis showed that extruded samples with citric acid caused starch hydrolysis, resulted an increase in the intensity of bands 994 and 1016 cm-1 in comparison to native corn starch (NCS).”
Optimization of an extrusion cooking process to increase formation of resistant starch from corn starch with addition of citric acid DOI: 10.1002/star.201900150. -
Acetate confidence 1.0
“Characteristic peaks of O-H cm-1, cm-1 stretching at 3423 C-H stretching of the CH groups at 2920 and C-O-C stretching at 2 cm-1 1016 were detected as well (Figure 2B), which are in accordance with the previous results”
Niaz 等 - 2020 - Alginate-caseinate based pH-responsive nano-coacer DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.11.177 -
Hydroxyl (O-H) confidence 1.0
“The peak at 1016 was ascribed to the phenolic were washed with 10 mL of distilled water.”
Characterization of the medium infrared spectra of polyphenols of red and white wines by integrating FT IR and UV–Vis spectral data DOI: 10.1016/j.lwt.2021.111604 -
Acetate confidence 1.0
“The FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of NH out of plane bending (872 cm-1) cm-1) and C-O-C stretching (1016 for chitosan with 59.76% degree of deacetylation.”
Sudatta 等 - 2020 - Extraction, characterization and antimicrobial act DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.06.291 -
Acetate confidence 1.0
“In detail, the peaks at 992 and 1040 are related to crystalline modes, while signals at 1076, 1040, 1016, 992 and 926 cm-1 are due to C-O-H bending and cm-1 domains, while the peak at 1016 is related to the amorphous regions [30,31,33].”
Bugnotti 等 - 2023 - Structure of Starch-Sepiolite Bio-Nanocomposites DOI: 10.3390/polym15051207 -
N c o confidence 1.0
“cm-1 Meanwhile, the band at 1106 corresponding to the N-C-O stretching vibration of is shifted to a lower cm-1, cm-1 wavenumber of 1016 and 1641 is the absorption”
Cheng 等 - 2022 - Development of a High-Strength and Adhesive Polyac DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c06626
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