What absorbs at 941 cm⁻¹ in an FTIR spectrum?

Quick answer

A band near 941 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

Ranking reflects accumulated literature evidence, not a single authoritative rule. Always confirm against your sample context.

Possible materials

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 941 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

  “The other three new peaks (the peaks cm-1 with 941, 2052 and 2357 values of wavenumber) are related with water and other mixtures existing in the sample.”

  Huseynov 等 - 2018 - Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic study of DOI: 10.1142/S0217979218500741
• Acetate confidence 1.0

  “The starch spectrum exhibited three characteristic scattering peaks at 1263, Carr 1053, and 941 cm-1, which are due to the stretching of C-O, C-C, and C-OH bonds belonging to starch [37].”

  Preparation and Characterization of Super-Absorbing Gel Formulated from -Carrageenan–Potato Peel Starch Blended Polymers DOI: 10.3390/polym13244308
• Alkene (C=C) confidence 1.0

  “Finally, the bands at 941 and 822 are assigned to the C=C vibrations of the C=C-C=O group, while that assigned to C-C-O skeleton vibration for pure cm-1 cm-1) ethanol appear at 1090 [50].”

  El Hadad 等 - 2011 - Preparation of sol-gel hybrid materials from gamma DOI: 10.1007/s00396-011-2504-y
• Hydroxyl (O-H) confidence 1.0

  “Castor oil showed a wide 430 band at 3450 cm-1 for hydroxyl groups, 2920 and 2850 cm-1 for CH2 and CH3 scissoring, 1743 cm-1 for 431 C-O ester groups, 1711 cm-1 for the stretching of C-O in free fatty acids, 1281 cm-1 for asymmetric C-O 432”

  Vazquez-Gonzalez 等 - 2021 - Electrosprayed cashew gum microparticles for the e DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2016.08.031
• C c single bond confidence 0.9

  “Text: '941 (νCC, rCH)'”

  Sodium montmorillonite/ureasil-poly(oxyethylene) nanocomposite as potential adsorbent of cationic dye DOI: 10.1016/j.clay.2017.11.009
• confidence 0.9

  “Text: 'We assign the band at 941 to the as(Mo-O)'”

  Nagaraju 等 - 2007 - Hydrothermal synthesis of amorphous MoS2 nanofiber DOI: 10.1007/s11671-007-9087-z
• Alkyl C-H confidence 0.5

  “Text: '941 Commons' likely refers to C-H band; context incomplete.”

  Layered structure graphene oxide/methylcellulose composites with enhanced mechanical and gas barrier properties DOI: 10.1039/c8ta03651a