Evaluation of flotation collectors for copper sulfides and pyrite, III. Effect of xanthate chain length and branching

The flotation of four copper sulfide minerals (chalcopyrite, chalcocite, bornite, covellite) and pyrite with xanthates shows that a minimum in the collector concentration necessary for flotation usually occurs at about C-5 (amyl) to C-8 (octyl) for the straight chain xanthates. Comparison of straight-chain and branched-chain compounds demonstrated that while short, branched chain xanthates out perform their straight chain analogs, above ∼ C-5 the branched-chain xanthates are less effective as compared to the straight chain form. When Cu 2+ is added to the flotation system, it was found that a minimal amount will often produce an enhanced flotation recovery, while greater amounts will either produce essentially no effect or may cause a slight decrease in flotation.