What absorbs at 462 cm⁻¹ in an FTIR spectrum?
A band near 462 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 462 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silicon-oxygen (Si-O) | 3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Silicon (Si) | 3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Metal oxygen | 3 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Alkyl C-H | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Silicate | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Metalloid oxygen | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Amide | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| N h | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Carbohydrate | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Siloxane (Si-O-Si) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Silanol (Si-OH) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Phosphate (PO4) | 1 | 1 | 0.9 |
Ranking reflects accumulated literature evidence, not a single authoritative rule. Always confirm against your sample context.
Possible materials
| Material | Supporting peaks | Overlapping groups | Cited sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| silica | 462, 1100, 1080 | Silicon-oxygen (Si-O), Silicon (Si), Alkyl C-H | 1 |
| Al2O3 | 462, 1722, 1383 | Metal oxygen, Alkyl C-H, Silicon (Si) | 1 |
| silica nanoparticles | 462, 1718, 2925 | Silicon-oxygen (Si-O), Silicon (Si), Alkyl C-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 462 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
-
Silicon-oxygen (Si-O) confidence 1.0
“nanoparticles showed the symmetric Si-O and O-Si-O stretching bond vibrations at 462, 1088, and 1098 The surface area of Sm2g-1, SiO R-SiO and B-SiO nanopowders were measured to be 7.5513, 201.45, and 247.18 respectively.”
Biogenerated silica nanoparticles synthesized from sticky, red, and brown rice husk ashes by chemical method DOI: 10.1016/j.ceramint.2015.11.172 -
Silicon-oxygen (Si-O) confidence 1.0
“al.39 cm-1 Yan et showed that the band at 1085 should be assigned to SiO tetrahedron base breathing stretch4 cm-1 ing vibration, while the band at approximately 462 should be attributed to the O-Si-O bending mode of the SiO tetrahedron.”
Spectroscopic investigations to reveal synergy between polystyrene waste and paraffin wax in super-hydrophobic sand DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36987-4 -
Silicon (Si) confidence 1.0
“Bands occurring at 462 and 514 are assigned to mixed Si-O-Si cm-1 is due to Si-O stretching.”
Bitay 等 - 2017 - PROVENANCE STUDY ON A SMALL SELECTION OF ROMAN POT DOI: 10.24193/subbchem.2017.4.13 -
Carbohydrate confidence 1.0
“4）the In the ESI-MS peak with the greatglucose/ cyclic glucose C6）, 67,58, 67,78, 67,96（open chain est intensity, the Base Peak, at 461.5 corresponded to glucose C3）, 70,48（open chain glucose C4,5/ cyclic glucose m/z”
Cetinkaya 等 - 2020 - D-Glucose-fatty Acid Ester Synthesis with or witho DOI: 10.5650/jos.ess20072 -
confidence 1.0
“showed characteristic absorpcm(cid:5)1 cm(cid:5)1 cm(cid:5)1 N-H for the amide A, bands come from the and 462.3 have phospholipids and the bands between 938.3 tion bands at 3325 cm(cid:5)1, stretching modes in proteins and nucleic acids, ba”
Phytochemical screening, polyphenols, flavonoids and tannin content, antioxidant activities and FTIR characterization of Marrubium vulgare L. from 2 different localities of Northeast of Morocco DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05609 -
Metalloid oxygen confidence 1.0
“LLM confirmed rule peak-group candidate”
Spectroscopic properties in Er3+-doped germanotellurite glasses and glass ceramics for mid-infrared laser materials DOI: 10.1038/srep43186 -
confidence 1.0
“There is an absorption peak was observed PbO-x%Al Figure 1 shows the FTIR spectra of 2O composites containing 10, 20, 30, 40, 3 around 462 cm-1 related to Pb-O stretching [33], which is observed in pure PbO, whereas, 50, 60, and 100% Al 2O”
Mebed 等 - 2022 - Controlling the Structural Properties and Optical DOI: 10.3390/catal12020142 -
Silicate confidence 1.0
“DTA-TG results for 98-day curing time (Z-Series) cm-1 The peaks at 462 were indicative of silicate structure peaks.”
Sola 和 Ozyazgan - 2019 - Analyses of cement mortars containing reclaimed as DOI: 10.14256/JCE.1607.2016
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