What absorbs at 1590 cm⁻¹ in an FTIR spectrum?
A band near 1590 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 1590 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carboxyl (COOH) | 19 | 17 | 1.0 |
| Aromatic ring | 13 | 13 | 1.0 |
| Alkene (C=C) | 13 | 11 | 1.0 |
| N h | 12 | 12 | 1.0 |
| Amide | 11 | 11 | 1.0 |
| Ring structure | 9 | 9 | 1.0 |
| Carbonyl (C=O) | 8 | 7 | 1.0 |
| Alkyl C-H | 6 | 5 | 1.0 |
| Methacrylate | 5 | 5 | 1.0 |
| Ketone | 5 | 5 | 1.0 |
| Ester | 5 | 5 | 1.0 |
| Acetate | 5 | 5 | 1.0 |
| C c single bond | 4 | 4 | 1.0 |
| Amine primary | 4 | 4 | 1.0 |
| Secondary amine | 4 | 4 | 1.0 |
| Water (H2O) | 3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| N-O bond | 3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Lignin | 3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Hydroxyl (O-H) | 3 | 2 | 1.0 |
| C=n | 3 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Carbohydrate | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Anhydride | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Hydrogen bond | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Silicon-oxygen (Si-O) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Silicon (Si) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Nitrile | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| C n single bond | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Carbon dioxide | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Carbonate | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Protein | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Nitrogen heterocycle | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Boron nitrogen | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Oxalate | 1 | 0 | 1.0 |
| C-O single bond | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| graphene oxide | 1590, 1150, 3400 | Carboxyl (COOH) | 1 |
| Polyaniline | 1590, 1565, 1570 | Aromatic ring | 1 |
| lignin | 1590, 1035, 1510 | Aromatic ring | 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 1590 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
-
confidence 1.0
“Explicit assignment: '1590, 1607, 1635 (vibrational mode of furan)'”
Preparation and evaluation of nanocomposites of polyfuran with Al2O3 and montmorillonite clay DOI: 10.1002/pi.1562 -
confidence 1.0
“This result is comparable with the studied The peak at 1590 of functionalized GO is probably due to the N-H bend, while the same peak by Shanmugharaj et al., [12] and Yan et al., [31].”
Daud 等 - 2017 - Functionalizing Graphene Oxide with Alkylamine by DOI: 10.3390/nano7060135 -
Lignin confidence 1.0
“bands at 1590 and 1140 bands arise due to destruction process of lignin macromolecules and were attributed So, there were revealed spectral differto vibration of C¼O bonds in carbonyl and ences in molecular spectra of three mild groups.[1,2”
Derkacheva 和 Sukhov - 2008 - Investigation of lignins by FTIR spectroscopy DOI: 10.1002/masy.200850507 -
Alkene (C=C) confidence 1.0
“possess aromatic rings and consequently the internal interfere with the quantification of the DC when the vinyl peak is 1590cm(cid:2)1 (cid:3)1610 standards at and which are used in small.”
Gauthier 等 - 2005 - A new method for quantifying the intensity of the DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2005.04.039 -
Aromatic ring confidence 1.0
“LLM confirmed rule peak-group candidate”
Revisiting the Redox Transitions of Polyaniline. Semiquantitative Interpretation of Electrochemically Induced IR Bands DOI: 10.1016/j.jelechem.2021.115593 -
Ring structure confidence 1.0
“Beside of the strong bands of selenocyanate 2096cm(cid:1)1 the main pyridine ring stretching at 1590, 1438 and at the 2061 and 1353cm(cid:1)1 1480cm(cid:1)1 shift to 1615, 1563, and respectively due to the strong binding to the copper atom”
Kurtaran 等 - 2007 - Synthesis, characterization, crystal structure and DOI: 10.1080/00958970701340511 -
Carboxyl (COOH) confidence 1.0
“The major difference cm-1 between the spectra is in the peaks at 1590 of resultant CNF films are attributed to cm-1 carboxylate groups.”
Lapuz 等 - 2022 - Production of Nanocellulose Film from Abaca Fibers DOI: 10.3390/cryst12050601 -
N-O bond confidence 1.0
“Howcm-1, ical structure changes in the PAN fiber after electronever, in this study, no peaks appear at 1590 beam irradiation.”
Liu 等 - 2020 - Structure and tensile properties of carbon fibers DOI: 10.1007/s10853-019-04182-4
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