What absorbs at 3010 cm⁻¹ in an FTIR spectrum?
A band near 3010 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 3010 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 | 26 | 23 | 1.0 |
| Alkene (C=C) | 22 | 20 | 1.0 |
| Lipid | 4 | 4 | 1.0 |
| Aromatic ring | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| N h | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Fatty acid | 2 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Secondary amine | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Ester | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Carboxyl (COOH) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Hydrogen bond | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Carbon dioxide | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Methoxy (OCH3) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Methacrylate | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| C-O single bond | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Acetate | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Hydroxyl (O-H) | 1 | 0 | 0.6 |
Ranking reflects accumulated literature evidence, not a single fixed rule. Always confirm against your sample context.
Possible materials
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 3010 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
“Vibrations 3010attributed to the aliphatic region between cm-1 12502850 and the silica network between cm-1 900 of both species do not appear to alter greatly between salinities (Fig.”
La Vars 等 - 2013 - Si-29{H-1} CP-MAS NMR comparison and ATR-FTIR spec DOI: 10.1007/s00216-013-6746-z -
Alkene (C=C) confidence 1.0
“A study conducted by IR spectroscopy combined with sequential tape stripping has pointed to the presence of a cm-1) band arising from =C-H stretch (at ∼3010 in the top few spectra of pig SC.”
Mansour 等 - 2017 - Elucidation of penetration enhancement mechanism o DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2017.05.026 -
Alkene (C=C) confidence 1.0
“This tissue is postulated CsH cm-1) of unsaturated lipids (olefinic stretch at 3010 is to be the route for water entry into the seed upon imbibition, also detectable in the cells adjacent to vascular bundles (Figures hence its importance fr”
Pietrzak 和 Miller - 2005 - Microchemical structure of soybean seeds revealed DOI: 10.1021/jf050608x -
Alkene (C=C) confidence 1.0
“LLM confirmed rule peak-group candidate”
Structure characterization of films from drying oils cured under infrared light DOI: 10.1002/app.31260 -
Alkyl C-H confidence 1.0
“-OH near 3430 stretch, antisymmetric stretch, antisymmetric which is attributed to the stretch, 3 2 cm-1 -CH CH stretch, and increased whereas the stretching vibration at 3010 symmetric stretch, respectively.”
Zeng 等 - 2013 - Kinetics of Heterogeneous Reaction of Ozone with L DOI: 10.1021/jp308304n -
Alkyl C-H confidence 1.0
“Also, the band of olefinic C-H stretching band cm-1 at 3010 is attributed exclusively to unconjugated, symmetrically disubstituted cis double bonds as expected for the fatty ester composition.”
Banou 等 - 2023 - Oil Media on Paper Investigating the Interaction DOI: 10.3390/polym15112567 -
Alkyl C-H confidence 1.0
“The uppermost spectrum corresponds to non-crosslinked starch oleate and shows a band at 3010 cm-1 arising from the C-H stretch of the unsaturated bond”
Synthesis and Properties of Fully Biobased Crosslinked Starch Oleate Films DOI: 10.3390/polym15112467 -
Alkyl C-H confidence 1.0
“(3) the peak 1710 cm-1 is related to the carboxyl bond vibrations in free fatty acids, and (4) the peak 3010 cm-1 is related to = C-H stretching in lipids and indicates the unsaturation level of cellular lipids.”
Byrtusova 等 - 2020 - Revealing the Potential of Lipid and beta-Glucans DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8071034
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