What absorbs at 3482 cm⁻¹ in an FTIR spectrum?
A band near 3482 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 7 cited sources
Quick answer
A band near 3482 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydroxyl (O-H) | 6 | 6 | 1.0 |
| Water (H2O) | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Alkyl C-H | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Epoxy | 3482, 1660, 1735 | Alkyl C-H | 1 |
| polyurethane | 3482, 2270, 1700 | Alkyl C-H | 1 |
| epoxy resin | 3482, 905, 1100 | Alkyl C-H | 1 |
| H2O | 3482, 1076, 3642 | Hydroxyl (O-H), Water (H2O) | 1 |
| alginate | 3482, 1100, 1715 | Alkyl C-H, Hydroxyl (O-H) | 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 3482 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
-
Water (H2O) confidence 1.0
“In the spectrum, investigated for the state of the membrane that shows spectrum cm-1 are assigned to the OH the absorptions at 3482 and 1627 a of Figure 1, in which free water exists in excess over RSO 3H, stretching and deformation vibrati”
Iwamoto 等 - 2002 - Water in perfluorinated, sulfonic acid Nafion memb DOI: 10.1021/jp013709g -
Hydroxyl (O-H) confidence 1.0
“The five vibrational features occur at 1030 cm1 (Si-F in gas phase SiF4), 1076 cm1 (Si-O in SiO2 film), 1728 cm1 (H2O scissors mode of adsorbed water), 3482 cm1 (O-H stretch of adsorbed H2O), and 3642 (SiO-H in surface silanol groups or H-X”
Montano-Miranda 和 Muscat - 2003 - Gas-phase HFvapor etching of thermal silicon diox DOI: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/SSP.92.207 -
Hydroxyl (O-H) confidence 1.0
“cm-1, Tween's FTIR spectrum highlights hydrogen-bound OH stretching to 3482 cm-1, 2863 and 2921 which can be attributed to asymmetric and symmetrical methylene cm-1 stretching vibrations at the specific carbonyl group of 1734 from R-CO-OR,”
Formulation and Characterization of Alginate-Based Membranes for the Potential Transdermal Delivery of Methotrexate DOI: 10.3390/polym -
Alkyl C-H confidence 1.0
“BSG-linked spectroscopic analysis showed an OH group at 3481.51 cm-1, C-H in CH at 2 2995.45 cm-1, COO (asymmetric and symmetric stretching) due to uronic acid at 1689.64 FTIR spectra of BSG, BSG-co-poly (AA) hydrogel and captopril are show”
Ghumman 等 - 2022 - Synthesis of pH-Sensitive Cross-Linked Basil Seed DOI: 10.3390/gels8050291 -
Hydroxyl (O-H) confidence 1.0
“The broad IR cm-1 cm-1 band centered at 3482 is attributed to phenolic O-H stretch H-bonded.”
Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy: An analytical technique to understand therapeutic responses at the molecular level DOI: 10.1038/srep16649 -
Hydroxyl (O-H) confidence 1.0
“(cm-1) Observed vibrational bands Assignments 3482 O-H stretching”
Kannan 等 - 2023 - Exploration of third order nonlinear optical featu DOI: 10.15251/DJNB.2023.181.367 -
Hydroxyl (O-H) confidence 1.0
“The spectra of catechin displayed cm-1 cm-1, cm-1, peaks at 3482 representing O-H stretching regions, and 1656 1285 cm-1 cm-1 1150 and 1071 representing the existence of aromatic rings [25].”
Shah 等 - 2022 - Encapsulation of Catechin into beta-Glucan Matrix DOI: 10.3390/foods11101493
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