Mid-infrared vibrational spectroscopic study has been made on 5,6-dihydroxyindole (DHI) and DHI-derived eumelanin. It has been revealed for DHI monomer that measured infrared absorption spectrum is well reproduced by that predicted from ab initio calculations. Thus, vibrational modes of DHI monomer causing dominant absorption bands have been successfully assigned. It has been also reconfirmed that DHI-derived eumelanin includes indolequinone and/or quinone methide units in addition to DHI units. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.