A determination of the products of reaction betweer various sulfide minerals and aqueous xanthate solution,and a correlation of the products with electrode rest potentials

The surface reaction products formed when sulfide minerals react with xanthates were analyzed by spectrophotometric methods. These products were found to be predominantly either metal xanthate or dixanthogen, depending on the particular sulfide mineral. Dixanthogen is formed on those minerals that, in a solution of xanthate, assume a rest potential greater than the equilibrium potential for the reduction of dixanthogen or xanthate.