The Infrared Spectra of Polymers, VI: Polymers With C-O Bonds

This column series has been organized into sections based on the infrared (IR) spectroscopy of specific chemical bonds. We have discussed functional groups containing C-H, C-O, and C=O bonds. Here, in the sixth installment of our survey of the IR spectra of polymers, we discuss polymers that contain C-O bonds. The spectra we will examine include polyvinyl alcohol, cellulose, starch, and copolymers that contain C-O bonds such as polyethetherketone, polyurethanes, and polyimides. The unifying theme of all these spectra is that they all contain one or more large C-O stretching peaks between 1300–1000 cm-1.