What absorbs at 876 cm⁻¹ in an FTIR spectrum?
A band near 876 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 876 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbonate | 6 | 6 | 1.0 |
| Silicon-oxygen (Si-O) | 3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Hydroxyl (O-H) | 3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| C-O single bond | 3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Silicon (Si) | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| N-O bond | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Alkyl C-H | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Methoxy (OCH3) | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Methacrylate | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Acetate | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Metal oxygen | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Carbon dioxide | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Siloxane (Si-O-Si) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Alkene (C=C) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Ring structure | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Aromatic ring | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Oxygen heterocycle | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| N h | 1 | 1 | 0.5 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| TiO2 | 876, 1700, 1093 | Hydroxyl (O-H), C-O single bond | 1 |
| zinc oxide | 876, 1627, 1638 | C-O single bond | 1 |
| ZnO nanoparticles | 876, 1219, 1726 | Hydroxyl (O-H), C-O single bond | 1 |
| hematite | 876, 1030, 469 | Hydroxyl (O-H), Silicon-oxygen (Si-O), C-O single bond | 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 876 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 band at 876 15 16 1 corresponds to the vibrations of elongation and deformation of the Zn-O vibration as confirmed 17”
Chen 等 - 2019 - Biosynthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles and their DOI: 10.1088/2053-1591/ab118d -
Carbonate confidence 1.0
“and cuse to contribute to the controversy started at the 80's on the 1447/1437 and 876 cm-1 (attributed to carbonates).”
Martin-Gil 等 - 2005 - The orange-brown patina of Salisbury Cathedral (We DOI: 10.1065/espr2005.05.257 -
confidence 1.0
“The sharp and intense peak at 875.57 is 11 a characteristic peak for the rutile phase assigned to Ti-O stretching.”
Ntozakhe 等 - 2019 - Influence of nitrogen doping on TiO2 nanoparticles DOI: 10.1088/2053-1591/ab2260 -
Oxygen heterocycle confidence 1.0
“by vibration of epoxy ring (cid:16)C(cid:16)O(cid:16)C at the band of 876 The existence of ENR/PVC matrix blending is showed cm-1[11].”
Shamsuddin 等 - 2013 - Celluloses Filled ENRPVC Membranes for Palm Oil M DOI: 10.1063/1.4858768 -
Aromatic ring confidence 1.0
“dpa172d1_B DPA is characterized by bands with maxima at ~691-744 cm-1, 876 cm-1, 1173 cm-1, 1242 dpa173d1_B vibrational modes: the out-of-plane deformation of the benzene ring, deformation of the dpa174d1_B cm-1, 1317 cm-1, 1415 cm-1, 1456-”
The Photoluminescence and Vibrational Properties of Black Phosphorous Sheets Chemically/Electrochemically Functionalized in the Presence of Diphenylamine DOI: 10.3390/polym14214479 -
N-O bond confidence 1.0
“~1456 ~1403 and 1236 Howcm-1/1038 cm-1 ever, the spectral absorption bands of malignant and benign samples in ~1044 cm-1/876 cm-1 and ~884 regions showed no significant differences.”
ATR-FTIR spectroscopy as adjunct method to the microscopic examination of hematoxylin and eosin-stained tissues in diagnosing lung cancer DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0233626 -
Hydroxyl (O-H) confidence 1.0
“The small band at 876 (Al-Fe-OH vibration) observed in some of the samples 5).”
Assessment of Easily Accessible Spectroscopic Techniques Coupled with Multivariate Analysis for the Qualitative Characterization and Differentiation of Earth Pigments of Various Provenance DOI: 10.3390/min12060755 -
confidence 1.0
“Previous vibration of H-O-O (H 2O 2) connected to the silica framework was found to be weakly absorbed at studies [32,33] show that the sharp peak at 876 cm-1 should be assigned to (O-O) stretching vibration studies [32,33] show that the sh”
Synthesis and Characterization of a New Aluminosilicate Molecular Sieve from Aluminosilica Perhydrate Hydrogel DOI: 10.3390/ma13235469
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