What absorbs at 1394 cm⁻¹ in an FTIR spectrum?
A band near 1394 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 1394 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amide | 12 | 12 | 1.0 |
| Methacrylate | 7 | 7 | 1.0 |
| Carboxyl (COOH) | 7 | 7 | 1.0 |
| Acetate | 7 | 7 | 1.0 |
| Ketone | 5 | 5 | 1.0 |
| Ester | 5 | 5 | 1.0 |
| Carbonyl (C=O) | 5 | 5 | 1.0 |
| Secondary amine | 4 | 4 | 1.0 |
| C n single bond | 4 | 4 | 1.0 |
| Alkyl C-H | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Methoxy (OCH3) | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| C-O single bond | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Hydroxyl (O-H) | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Metal oxygen | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Fatty acid | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Carbonate | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| C c single bond | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Protein | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| N h | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| S eq o | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| C=n | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Carbon dioxide | 1 | 1 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| silver nanoparticles | 1394, 1636, 1631 | Methacrylate, Acetate, Amide | 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 1394 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
-
Carbon dioxide confidence 1.0
“Cyanidine O=C=O cm-1 corresponds to vibration stretching of C=O group, 1394 and is an another important phytoconstituent reported in GC-MS cm-1 1383 corresponds to -OH bending vibrations.”
Shareef 和 Bhavya - 2021 - Extraction, phytochemical analysis and in silico a DOI: 10.21276/ap.2021.10.2.59 -
Alkyl C-H confidence 1.0
“* CH bending 1453.61±0.43 1452.14±0.14 0.90±0.03 0.96±0.02 2 COO- *** * symmetric stretch 1394.20±0.36 1397.09±0.25 0.98±0.02 0.92±0.05 * 2PO asymmetric stretching 1239.61±0.12 1239.48±0.19 0.12 1.01±0.02 0.91±0.02”
Wang 等 - 2012 - Differentiation in MALDI-TOF MS and FTIR spectra b DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-12-182 -
Amide confidence 1.0
“The shape of AC particle has acicular cm-1 stretching at 1394 and O-C-N stretching at with size of length approximately about 30-100 cm-1.”
Wicaksono 等 - 2017 - Enhancement of solubility and dissolution rate of DOI: 10.4314/tjpr.v16i7.6 -
Carboxyl (COOH) confidence 1.0
“based on the Noda's rule [24] led to the sequence of the spectral (cm(cid:2)1) Position Assignment cm(cid:2)1, (''?'' 1302?1264 1302? change means prior to): C@O (m 1706 Carboxylic acid stretch carboxy) C@O 1394cm(cid:2)1.”
Adsorption of Enrofloxacin on montmorillonite: Two-dimensional correlation ATR/FTIR spectroscopy study DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2012.09.039 -
Carboxyl (COOH) confidence 1.0
“The intense band at 775 cm-1 cm-1 is due to the symmetrical adsorption band at 1394.25 region, several bands are observed, which can be assigned elongation of the carboxylate group.”
Adala 等 - 2022 - Two Coordination Polymers Synthesized from Various DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c06049 -
Amide confidence 1.0
“An additional common stretching vibration that appeared at 1360.78 cm-1 for AM-5, 1381.65 cm-1 for AM-7, and 1393.54 cm-1 for AM-8 was due to C-N-C in-plane bending of the imine formed.”
Novel Hemocompatible Imine Compounds as Alternatives for Antimicrobial Therapy in Pharmaceutical Application DOI: 10.3390/pr8111476 -
S eq o confidence 1.0
“8 SD = (A SO2/A C=C) x (17/ 0.132) (2) cm-1 is the integral of the peak at 1394 related to the asymmetric SO stretching where A SO2 2”
Gomes 等 - 2007 - Characterization of partially sulfonated polyoxadi DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2007.02.046 -
confidence 1.0
“The peak around 1396 and 1394 correspond to N-H stretching vibration of amine.”
Green Synthesis, Characterization, Enzyme Inhibition, Antimicrobial Potential, and Cytotoxic Activity of Plant Mediated Silver Nanoparticle Using Ricinus communis Leaf and Root Extracts DOI: 10.3390/biom11020206
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