What absorbs at 1360 cm⁻¹ in an FTIR spectrum?
A band near 1360 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 1360 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alkyl C-H | 14 | 13 | 1.0 |
| Acetate | 9 | 8 | 1.0 |
| Methoxy (OCH3) | 8 | 7 | 1.0 |
| Methacrylate | 8 | 7 | 1.0 |
| C-O single bond | 7 | 6 | 1.0 |
| Hydroxyl (O-H) | 4 | 4 | 1.0 |
| Carbonate | 3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Carbonyl (C=O) | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Amide | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Aromatic ring | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Ring structure | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| N-O bond | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Borate | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Ketone | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Ester | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Carboxyl (COOH) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| C c single bond | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Hydrogen bond | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Methyl | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Phosphate (PO4) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| N h | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Secondary amine | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| C n single bond | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Metal oxygen | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Silicon-oxygen (Si-O) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Water (H2O) | 1 | 1 | 0.9 |
| Nitrate | 1 | 1 | 0.9 |
| C-S single bond | 1 | 0 | 1.0 |
| Anhydride | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| PMMA | 1360, 1722, 1383 | Methacrylate, Acetate, Alkyl C-H | 1 |
| ZnO | 1360, 1400, 3430 | Alkyl C-H, Acetate, Methacrylate | 1 |
| LDPE | 1360, 1720, 1737 | Alkyl C-H, 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 1360 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
-
Alkyl C-H confidence 1.0
“Further, the cm-1 cm-1 doublet characteristic peaks 1361 and 1339 of the CH wagging mode merged 2 cm-1 into a single peak which appeared at 1360 confirming that the PEO crystallite phase”
Effects of different inorganic nanoparticles on the structural, dielectric and ion transportation properties of polymers blend based nanocomposite solid polymer electrolytes DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2017.07.051 -
N-O bond confidence 1.0
“LLM confirmed rule peak-group candidate”
Biodegradation of Unpretreated Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) by Stenotrophomonas sp. and Achromobacter sp., Isolated From Waste Dumpsite and Drilling Fluid DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.603210 -
confidence 1.0
“The 938 peak corresponds to Si-O The 1360 cm-1 32cm-1”
Melchiorre 等 - 2020 - Insights on Structure and Threshold Detection Limi DOI: 10.3390/min10030215 -
Metal oxygen confidence 1.0
“There are absorptions at the wavelength of 1360 from an asymmetric stretching vibration Zn-O-Zn due to interference by Al atoms.”
conferenceseries.iop.org materials science and engineering open access proceedings IOP Conferences Series: Materials Science and Engineering DOI: 10.1088/1757-899X/176/1/012049 -
Aromatic ring confidence 1.0
“cm-1, signed to the transverse optic and transverse acoustic vibraarising from the and a D shoulder peak at around 1360 point.24 sp2 M tions at the breathing modes of atoms in clusters of sixfold aromatic rings.16,17 cm-1 The Raman bands of”
Wang 等 - 2007 - Elastic properties of a-C N H films DOI: 10.1063/1.2402477(cid:5) -
Amide confidence 1.0
“Moreover, a strong peak at 1360 1, cm-1, assigned to C-N bonding, and a significant peak intensity around 1460 is related to the”
Microsoft Word - Zadeh_ Valorization of bagasse alkali lignin to water-soluble derivatives through chemical modification_AAM.docx DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2016.10.082 -
Carbonyl (C=O) confidence 1.0
“due to frequencies which are 1360cm-1 1160cm-1 due to v(C=O);”
Ajibade 和 Osuntokun - 2014 - Synthesis and Characterization of Hexadecylamine C DOI: 10.1155/2014/782526 -
Acetate confidence 1.0
“cm-1 3340 Moreover, the peaks at 1360 are (cid:3)C which annealed at 500 without an external H attributed to the acetate group, the residual from Fig.”
Effect of hydrogen-related shallow donor on the physical and chemical properties of Ag-doped ZnO nanostructures DOI: 10.1007/s10854-022-08513-1
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