What absorbs at 617 cm⁻¹ in an FTIR spectrum?
A band near 617 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 617 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) | 4 | 4 | 1.0 |
| Alkyl C-H | 3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Metal oxygen | 3 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Carbon bromine | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Acetate | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Bromine | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Sulfate (SO4) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Silicon-oxygen (Si-O) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Methoxy (OCH3) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Methacrylate | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| C-O single bond | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| C c single bond | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Alkene (C=C) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Metal halide | 1 | 1 | 0.9 |
| Thiocarbonyl | 1 | 1 | 0.9 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZnO | 617, 1400, 3430 | Metal oxygen, Hydroxyl (O-H), Alkyl C-H | 1 |
| copper | 617, 1636, 1202 | Hydroxyl (O-H) | 1 |
| ZnS | 617, 1650, 1116 | Hydroxyl (O-H), Alkyl C-H | 1 |
| silver nanoparticles | 617, 1636, 1631 | Hydroxyl (O-H), Alkyl C-H | 1 |
| ZnO nanoparticles | 617, 1219, 1726 | Hydroxyl (O-H), Alkyl C-H, Metal oxygen | 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 617 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
“The vibrational peak around 617 indicates the presence of Cu-S stretching modes.”
Investigation of structural, optical and morphological properties of copper doped zinc sulphide nanoparticles DOI: 10.1016/j.mssp.2016.03.019 -
Hydroxyl (O-H) confidence 1.0
“The strong broad bands in the higher region at 3435 and 3427 cm-1 are 617, and 517 due to the stretching vibration of hydroxyl (OH) groups.”
Innovative Investigation of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Used in Dentistry DOI: 10.3390/cryst12081063 -
Acetate confidence 1.0
“LLM confirmed rule peak-group candidate”
Wankhede 和 Haram - 2003 - Synthesis and characterization of Cd-DMSO complex DOI: 10.1021/cm020761w -
Hydroxyl (O-H) confidence 1.0
“The absorption of the visible bands at 617 cm-1 and and 1039 refer to O H, C C, C O C stretching vibration, 425 nm was significantly reduced when the GT-Fe NPs were indicating that water-soluble polyphenols and caf-”
Synthesis of iron-based nanoparticles by green tea extract and their degradation of malachite DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2013.09.024 -
confidence 1.0
“intensity, observed in the region of 600-620 Guo and Wang [28] reported comparable results for Na 2SO 4/SiO with a spectrum showing symmetric tension vibrations at 617 y 2 cm-1 1126 corresponding to S-O bonds.”
Benito 等 - 2023 - Catalytic Evaluation of Hafnium Modified SiO2 for DOI: 10.3390/app13148541 -
Carbon bromine confidence 1.0
“cm(cid:1)1 C-Br 2d).51 and a vibration absorption peak at 617 (Fig.”
Surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization grafting from nanoporous cellulose gels to create hydrophobic nanocomposites DOI: 10.1039/c8ra04163f -
Hydroxyl (O-H) confidence 1.0
“The peaks at 617 and 482 were The highly crystalline structure of the silver nanoparticles assigned to -O-H bond between oxygen atom of Ag 2O and as synthesized was clearly indicated by the sharp and strong H-atom of phenolic compound at th”
Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Eupatorium adenophorum leaf extract: characterizations, antioxidant, antibacterial and photocatalytic activities DOI: 10.1007/s11696-023-02676-9 -
Sulfate (SO4) confidence 1.0
“617cm-1 is assigned to sulfate ion.”
Quaternization of algal/PEI beads (a new sorbent): Characterization and application to scandium sorption from aqueous solutions DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2019.123210
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