What absorbs at 1078 cm⁻¹ in an FTIR spectrum?
A band near 1078 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 1078 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 | 25 | 25 | 1.0 |
| Methoxy (OCH3) | 23 | 23 | 1.0 |
| Methacrylate | 23 | 23 | 1.0 |
| Acetate | 23 | 23 | 1.0 |
| Hydroxyl (O-H) | 10 | 10 | 1.0 |
| Phosphate (PO4) | 9 | 8 | 1.0 |
| Silicon-oxygen (Si-O) | 7 | 5 | 1.0 |
| Carbohydrate | 6 | 6 | 1.0 |
| Amide | 5 | 5 | 1.0 |
| Alkyl C-H | 5 | 5 | 1.0 |
| Silicon (Si) | 4 | 4 | 1.0 |
| Siloxane (Si-O-Si) | 4 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Phosphorus | 3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Secondary amine | 3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| C n single bond | 3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Alkene (C=C) | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| C c single bond | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Thiocarbonyl | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Carbonyl (C=O) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Carboxyl (COOH) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Oxygen heterocycle | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Water (H2O) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| N h | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Hydrogen bond | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Fluorine (C-F) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Aromatic ring | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Nucleic acid | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Amine primary | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Metal oxygen | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Sulfate (SO4) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Ring structure | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Silanol (Si-OH) | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| polysaccharide | 1078, 1637, 1320 | Methacrylate, Acetate, C-O single bond | 1 |
| CS | 1078, 1645, 1720 | Methacrylate, C-O single bond, Acetate | 1 |
| polysaccharides | 1078, 1053, 1143 | Methacrylate, Acetate | 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 1078 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
-
Acetate confidence 1.0
“719 (m) C-O-C stretching in esters 1078 (w) 1031;”
Barnaby 等 - 2018 - Free Radical Scavenging Capacity, Carotenoid Conte DOI: 10.1155/2018/1762342 -
confidence 1.0
“cm-1 bands near 1385, 1047, 1026 and 883 showed the presDetermination of prebiotic potential of PKC crude β-glycosidc ence of bonds while the bands around 1078 and soluble polysaccharides α-glycosidic 843 were assigned to bonds (Capek et al”
Evaluation of the effect of soluble polysaccharides of palm kernel cake as a potential prebiotic on the growth of probiotics DOI: 10.1007/s13205-018-1362-4 -
Amide confidence 1.0
“Including cm-1 cm-1 the peak corresponding to amide II, two peaks at 1448 and 1078 are similar to the peaks at 1446 and”
Analysis of the ex-vivo transformation of semen, saliva and urine as they dry out using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and chemometric approach DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91009-5 -
Alkyl C-H confidence 1.0
“FTIR 1078cm-1 at 1337, 1230 and are assigned as CH bending, CH”
Spectroscopic characterization approach to study surfactants effect on ZnO2 nanoparticles synthesis by laser ablation process DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2010.02.068 -
Phosphate (PO4) confidence 1.0
“LLM confirmed rule peak-group candidate”
Ghosh 等 - 2013 - Cinnamon Oil Nanoemulsion Formulation by Ultrasoni DOI: 10.1166/jnn.2013.6701 -
Acetate confidence 1.0
“12 Relation between FWHM and positions on RGO film (3 min, epoxy groups, the stretching vibration of C-O at 1078 and 6 W)”
Optical properties of graphene oxide thin film reduced by low-cost diode laser DOI: 10.1007/s00339-020-03710-3 -
C-O single bond confidence 1.0
“The FTIR spectroscopy study of neat PLA having various functional groups C=O al cm-1), cm-1), stretching vibrations (~ 1749 asymmetric C-O-C stretching (1180 symmetric and cm-1), cm-1), asymmetric -CH vibrations (1128 and 1042 C-OH side gro”
Ghosh 等 - 2020 - Blown films fabrication of poly lactic acid based DOI: 10.1016/j.mtcomm.2019.100737 -
Acetate confidence 1.0
“The position and cm(cid:1)1 bands, the peak at 1078 is due to the C-O focus of the sample were adjusted microscopically through stretching modes of glycoprotein in the FBG strucan Aperture Through Optical System (ATOS) for analysis.”
Pressure dependence of human fibrinogen correlated to the conformational [alpha]-helix to [beta]-sheet transition: An Fourier transform infrared study microspectroscopic study DOI: 10.1002/bip.20012
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