What absorbs at 1311 cm⁻¹ in an FTIR spectrum?
A band near 1311 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 5 cited sources
Quick answer
A band near 1311 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary amine | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Amide | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Alkyl C-H | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| N h | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| C-O single bond | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Lignin | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Methacrylate | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Ketone | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Ester | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Carboxyl (COOH) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Carbonyl (C=O) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Acetate | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| C n single bond | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
Ranking reflects accumulated literature evidence, not a single authoritative rule. Always confirm against your sample context.
Possible materials
| Material | Supporting peaks | Overlapping groups | Cited sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chitosan | 1311, 1650, 1655 | Alkyl C-H, Amide, N h | 1 |
| polyurethane | 1311, 2270, 1700 | Alkyl C-H, N h, Amide | 1 |
| CaCO3 | 1311, 1141, 712 | Alkyl C-H | 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 1311 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
-
Amide confidence 1.0
“The C-O-C 𝑐𝑚-1, stretching vibration appears at 1075.12 while the C-N stretches around 1311.35 𝑐𝑚-1 (Timotius et al., 2022).”
Timotius 等 - 2022 - The Study of Methylene Blue Loading into Chitosan- DOI: 10.14716/ijtech.v13i8.6133 -
Acetate confidence 1.0
“Signals obtained at 1311 are assigned to C=O vibration in lignin and at 1361 associated to deformation of C-H group in cellulose and hemicellulose.”
Diego Mendez-Mejias 和 Moya - 2016 - Effects on density, shrinking, color changing and DOI: 10.18671/scifor.v44n112.03 -
C-O single bond confidence 1.0
“Bands at ~1311 1370 and the C-OH (or C-CH) bending mode.”
2D Correlation Spectroscopy (2DCoS) Analysis of Temperature-Dependent FTIR-ATR Spectra in Branched Polyethyleneimine/TEMPO-Oxidized CelluloseNano-Fiber Xerogels DOI: 10.3390/polym13040528 -
confidence 1.0
“A very sharp peaks at 1311 which refers to N-H stretching is observed due to 4+ the complexation with addition of NH 4NO between the NH ions from salt in the BPEs system.”
Shaffie 和 Khiar - 2018 - Characterization of Chitosan-starch Blend Based Bi DOI: 10.1063/1.5041232 -
Alkyl C-H confidence 1.0
“The peaks at around 1311 cm-1 were due to the twisting mode of -CH2, while that at around 1360 cm-1 corresponded to the methylene groups wagging vibrations [3,12,18].”
Fabrication of Aliphatic Water-Soluble Polyurethane Composites with Silane Treated CaCO3 DOI: 10.3390/polym12040747
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