Comparison of Adsorption of Phenol O-O and N-O Chelating Collectors at the Malachite/Water Interface in Flotation

To separate one base metal mineral from another by flotation, it is indispensable to identify chemical reagents that specifically interact with the surface metal sites of one mineral or a group of minerals. This work studies the interactions of chelating collectors which offer the best potential for collecting abilities and mineral specificity with a typical refractory oxide mineral (malachite). Zeta potential, adsorption and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) measurements are applied to differentiate the interactions of salicylaldoxime and salicyl hydroxamate on the malachite surface. Salicylaldoxime and salicyl hydroxamate are of molecular structures that resemble each other, but with different bond distances in the ligand atoms which result in their unusual adsorption behavior and collecting ability. Thus, the flotation of malachite behaves differently with the two chelating collectors. This study might provide useful clues for designing novel collectors in base metal oxide flotations.