What absorbs at 879 cm⁻¹ in an FTIR spectrum?
A band near 879 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 879 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) | 3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Aromatic ring | 3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Carbonate | 3 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Alkyl C-H | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Methacrylate | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Acetate | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Amide | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Phosphate (PO4) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Carbohydrate | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| C c single bond | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Methoxy (OCH3) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| C-O single bond | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Metal oxygen | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Secondary amine | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| C n single bond | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Ring structure | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Ketone | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Ester | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Carboxyl (COOH) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Carbonyl (C=O) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Lipid | 1 | 1 | 0.8 |
| Protein | 1 | 1 | 0.8 |
| Phospholipid | 1 | 1 | 0.8 |
| Nucleic acid | 1 | 1 | 0.8 |
| Silicon carbon | 1 | 0 | 0.7 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| cotton fabric | 879, 900, 862 | Alkyl C-H, Hydroxyl (O-H) | 1 |
| hydroxyapatite | 879, 1620, 1639 | Hydroxyl (O-H), Alkyl C-H, Carbonate | 1 |
| polyethylene glycol | 879, 1030, 1587 | 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 879 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
“related to ethanol and some organic compounds such as sugars, phenols, alcohols, and esters cm-1 The peak at 879 could be ascribed to out-of-plane C-H bending of aromatic compounds [10], [14,49,51].”
Application of Functional Data Analysis and FTIR-ATR Spectroscopy to Discriminate Wine Spirits Ageing Technologies DOI: 10.3390/math8060896 -
Acetate confidence 1.0
“at 862 and 879 Both bands could be assigned to C=O vibration in carbonate 879 cm-1.”
Impact of NaOH Concentration on Deweaving of Cotton Fabric in Aqueous Solutions DOI: 10.3390/su13042015 -
Carbonate confidence 1.0
“The cm-1, cm-1 cm-1 bands observed at 879 1410 and 1455 in the IR spectrum were attributed ν ν to bending mode and stretching modes of carbonate ions.”
Synthesis and Characterization of Polymer-Based Coatings Modified with Bioactive Ceramic and Bovine Serum Albumin DOI: 10.3390/jfb12020021 -
Aromatic ring confidence 1.0
“The peak at 879 cm-1 indicates the presence of aromatic groups.”
Experimental Analysis of Chemically Degraded Lubricant’s Impact on Spur Gear Wear DOI: 10.3390/lubricants11050201 -
Aromatic ring confidence 1.0
“The peaks at 879, 818 and 752 can all be attributed to the different H atom vibrations in the benzene ring.”
Huang 等 - 2021 - Experimental research on semi-coke for blast furna DOI: 10.1007/s42243-020-00480-3 -
Amide confidence 1.0
“In addition, an absorbance band located compared with that of the cAuNPs/SPE, suggesting that AuNPs cm-1 at 879 corresponds to the C-N vibrations of the nitroso biosynthesized using Plectranthus amboinicus leaf extract as the”
Electrochemical Determination of Nicotine in Tobacco Products Based on Biosynthesized Gold Nanoparticles DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2020.593070 -
Hydroxyl (O-H) confidence 1.0
“3b) featured two distinctive h o cm-1, bands at 879 and 872 attributed to A-type and B-type carbonate ions, respectively r M”
Liu 等 - 2014 - A Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy Analysis DOI: 10.1159/000356868. -
confidence 1.0
“A-type carbonate”
Carbonate substitution in the mineral component of bone: Discriminating the structural changes, simultaneously imposed by carbonate in A and B sites of apatite DOI: 10.1016/j.jssc.2017.07.025.
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