What is th e sharp intense peak at 1246 cm-1 usually indicative of?

Answer 1

C-O single bond stretch. it is probably sp2 hybridized and there may be another electronegative group in the vicinity causing it to shift left.

Answer 2

The sharp intense peak at 1246 cm-1 is usually indicative of the presence of an ester functional group in a molecule. Ester functional groups typically exhibit strong absorption in this region due to the C-O stretching vibrations. This peak can be helpful in identifying esters in infrared spectroscopy analysis.