What absorbs at 1658 cm⁻¹ in an FTIR spectrum?
A band near 1658 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 1658 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 | 32 | 25 | 1.0 |
| Carbonyl (C=O) | 12 | 9 | 1.0 |
| N h | 7 | 7 | 1.0 |
| Carboxyl (COOH) | 6 | 6 | 1.0 |
| Hydroxyl (O-H) | 6 | 6 | 1.0 |
| Secondary amine | 6 | 5 | 1.0 |
| Methacrylate | 5 | 5 | 1.0 |
| Ketone | 5 | 5 | 1.0 |
| Ester | 5 | 5 | 1.0 |
| Acetate | 5 | 5 | 1.0 |
| Water (H2O) | 4 | 4 | 1.0 |
| Protein alpha helix | 4 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Alkyl C-H | 3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Aromatic ring | 3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| C n single bond | 3 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Hydrogen bond | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Alkene (C=C) | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Protein random coil | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| C c single bond | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Protein | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Urea | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Lipid | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| N n bond | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Ring structure | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Chitosan | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Lignin | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| N-O bond | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Bromine | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| PET | 1658, 1408, 800 | Amide, Carbonyl (C=O), N h | 1 |
| rGO | 1658, 2358, 2930 | Amide, N h | 1 |
| hydrogels | 1658, 3281, 1700 | Amide, N h, Carboxyl (COOH) | 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 1658 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
-
Hydroxyl (O-H) confidence 1.0
“The cm-1 is attributed to the broad absorption band centered at 3450 cm-1 O-H stretching vibrations, and the band at 1658 is attributed cm-1 to bending mode (H-O-H).”
Synthesis of nickel oxide nanoparticles using pulsed laser ablation in liquids and their optical characterization DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2012.03.147 -
Alkyl C-H confidence 1.0
“Also, we observe the characteristic bands corresponding to the stretching modes of the ethylene glycol and ester groups at ~1126 and ~1256 cm-1 the aromatic and ethylene glycol CH2 stretching mode (1658 cm-1) and the carbonyl (C=O) stretchi”
Laskarakis 等 - 2004 - A Spectroscopic Ellipsometry study of PET membrane DOI: 10.1002/masy.200450109 -
Hydroxyl (O-H) confidence 1.0
“cm(cid:1)1isassignedtothescissoringoftwo acetylated starches with DS 1.68 and 2.82 represented Thebandat1658 the typical peaks of acetylated starches, which had wide O-H bonds of absorbed water molecules.”
Study on the morphology, crystalline structure, and thermal properties of Fritillaria ussuriensis Maxim. starch acetates with different degrees of substitution DOI: 10.1002/star.201000055 -
Amide confidence 1.0
“Another amide I band at 1658 spectra obtained from films hydrated with D 2O (traces c and which is affected in the D115N mutant protein (24), does”
Maeda 等 - 1999 - Chromophore-protein-water interactions in the L in DOI: 10.1021/bi9907072 -
Amide confidence 1.0
“3b) gave a clear resonance coupling of the hydrogenIntheFT-IRspectraofNi-chlorins(seebottomofFigs.1aandb), O stretching band with the skeletal C-C/C-N bonded 13-C vibrationmodeat1678/1658cm-1.The(cid:4)-valueisestimatedtobe O and skeletal t”
Morishita 和 Tamiaki - 2009 - Specific coupling between the 13-keto carbonyl and DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2008.09.016 -
N-O bond confidence 1.0
“PVAc with no peak at 1658 (s1305).”
Identification of cellulose nitrate based adhesive repairs in archaeological pottery of the University of Melbourne’s Middle Eastern archaeological pottery collection using portable FTIR-ATR spectroscopy and PCA DOI: 10.1186/s40494-016-0116-z -
Carbonyl (C=O) confidence 1.0
“1658.5 could be used for the quantitative determinathe carbonyl bands at 1704.8 and 1658.5 cm-1 tion of caffeine in tea extracts.”
Ohnsmann 等 - 2002 - Determination of caffeine in tea samples by Fourie DOI: 10.1007/s00216-002-1503-8 -
Hydroxyl (O-H) confidence 1.0
“cm-1, cm-1, aromatic stretch at 1658 OH stretch at 3345 and To investigate the diffusion coefficient of the hydrogels, a”
Owonubi 等 - 2018 - Characterization and in vitro release kinetics of DOI: 10.1007/s40090-018-0139-2
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