Sphalerite deactivation

The copper sulfide formed on the surface of the sphalerite mineral reacts readily with the xanthate, and forms insoluble copper xanthate, which makes the sphalerite surface hydro-phobic. Such a reaction for activating sphalerite occurs whenever the activating ions are present in the solution. It is thus necessary to deactivate sphalerite (to prevent the occurrence of natural activation) in the case of some ores. With lead-zinc ores, for example, natural activation occurs due to Pb2+ in solution... 

The mineral, sphalerite, on account of its resistance to oxidation, contributes very little of Zn2+ through dissolution. In this case, zinc sulfate is added and the reaction, which is shown in the parenthesis, is pressed into proceeding from right to left (i.e., PhS + Zn2+ —> ZnS +Pb2+). This is equivalent to saying deactivation of sphalerite. Besides Pb2+, Cu2+ is also known to give rise to activation. In this case, cyanide ions are introduced into the system. The stability of Cu(CN)2, relative to Zn(CN)2- results in ratios of dissolved Cu to Zn such that activation cannot occur. 

The most widely applied activation procedure is that involving the use of copper(II) ions to enhance the floatability of some sulfide minerals, notably the common zinc sulfide mineral sphalerite.2 Sphalerite does not react readily with the common thiol collectors, but after being treated with small amounts of copper it floats readily owing to the formation of a surface layer of CuS." A similar procedure is often adopted in the flotation of pyrrhotite (FeS), pyrite (FeS2), galena (PbS) and stibnite (Sb2S3). In the context of coordination chemistry, the major contribution has been to the understanding of the chemistry involved in the deactivation of these minerals, a procedure often adopted in the sequential flotation of several minerals from a complex ore. 

Figure 2 Variation of the extent of deactivation of copper-activated sphalerite as function of the cyanide concentration (after Marsicano et at., ref. 12)...

A deactivating agent for copper-activated sphalerite is any species that has sufficient affinity for copper(I) or (II) to compete for it with sulfide ions in the surface lattice of the mineral, thus removing it from the surface. Ligands such as cyanide or ethylenediamine, which coordinate strongly to copper, have therefore been found to be the most effective. A knowledge of the stability of the species present in a system composed of and CN ions has enabled ... 

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