What absorbs at 1385 cm⁻¹ in an FTIR spectrum?
A band near 1385 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 1385 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 | 11 | 11 | 1.0 |
| Hydroxyl (O-H) | 10 | 10 | 1.0 |
| Methacrylate | 10 | 10 | 1.0 |
| Acetate | 10 | 10 | 1.0 |
| Methoxy (OCH3) | 9 | 9 | 1.0 |
| C-O single bond | 9 | 9 | 1.0 |
| Carboxyl (COOH) | 7 | 7 | 1.0 |
| Amide | 5 | 5 | 1.0 |
| Metal oxygen | 4 | 4 | 1.0 |
| Aromatic ring | 3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Methyl | 3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Ketone | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Ester | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Carbonyl (C=O) | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Ring structure | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Carbonate | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Nitrate | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Silicon (Si) | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Alkene (C=C) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| N-O bond | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Silanol (Si-OH) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Silicon-oxygen (Si-O) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Protein | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| N h | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Secondary amine | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| C n single bond | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| C#c | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Water (H2O) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| S eq o | 1 | 1 | 0.9 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZnO | 1385, 1400, 3430 | Hydroxyl (O-H), Alkyl C-H, Acetate | 1 |
| silver nanoparticles | 1385, 1636, 1631 | Hydroxyl (O-H), Alkyl C-H, Methacrylate | 1 |
| PVP | 1385, 2983, 1648 | Alkyl C-H, Hydroxyl (O-H), Methacrylate | 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 1385 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
-
Metal oxygen confidence 1.0
“Malachite green (MG) is classified in the 1385 denotes vibration of nitrate bond and M-O band cm-1.”
Badri 等 - 2021 - Adsorptive capacity of malachite green onto MgM3+ DOI: 10.30955/gnj.003443 -
Water (H2O) confidence 1.0
“The 1591cm(cid:2)1 shown as follows: CAP: 1747 and increased water content in both ground mixtures was due to the (C O-stretching of 1385cm(cid:2)1 adsorptionofwater fromthe atmosphereduringgrindingprocess.”
Cheng 等 - 2008 - Effect of moisture content on solid-state interact DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2008.08.009 -
Alkyl C-H confidence 1.0
“Other bands 1385cm-1 due to CH and CH bending.”
Font 等 - 2007 - Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy as a suita DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2007.07.021 -
Nitrate confidence 1.0
“3(cid:1) cm(cid:1)1 peak at 1385 assigned to the n stretching vibration of nitrate species, NO The absorption peak of NO disappeared in the 3 (cid:2)C samples heated at 500 in air.”
Katayama 等 - 2004 - Preparation of silicate foams using HSi(OC2H5)(3) DOI: 10.1016/S0955-2219(03)00517-X -
Alkyl C-H confidence 1.0
“The peak observed at 1385 was due to the bending of C-H bond in CH 2 cm-1 group as reported previously [88].”
Majid 等 - 2020 - Effect of Hydrothermal Reaction Time on Electrical DOI: 10.1515/zpch-2019-1423 -
C#c confidence 1.0
“cm-1 and 2611.01 >3000 (Medium) Alkane (C-H Stretching) 2715.39 2879.43cm-1 and2868.32cm-1 ±2860cm-1 Alkane(C-HStretching) (Medium) 2210.28cm-1 ±2200cm-1 Alkyne(C≡CStretching) (Medium) cm-1 cm-1 2935.05 ±2935 (Medium) Alkane (C-H Stretching”
Validation of the Developed Zero-Order Infrared Spectrophotometry Method for Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses of Tranexamic Acid in Marketed Tablets DOI: 10.3390/molecules26226985 -
Alkyl C-H confidence 1.0
“Several characteristics infrared vibrational band at 1050 ascribed to the C-N cm-1 cm-1 stretching vibrations, 1385 is due to the CH bending vibration and band at 1648 2”
Pandiyarajan 和 Karthikeyan - 2013 - Structural, thermal and optical properties of PVP DOI: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.678.253 -
Amide confidence 1.0
“muricata aqueous leaf cm-1), cm-1), C-N ≡Cbend (1384.58 stretch (1075.83 and extract having low LC and LC values.”
Santhosh 等 - 2015 - Annona muricata leaf extract-mediated silver nanop DOI: 10.1007/s00436-015-4511-2
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