Decomposition And Characterization Of Xanthate

Xanthates are anionic collectors normally used in flotation devices to modify the hydrophobic surface of sulphide minerals. Xanthates are heteropolar compounds and in aqueous media they dissociate into ionic xanthate and alkali-metal ions; nevertheless their behaviour is not well understood yet. This work characterises the six reactions describing the decomposition of the ionic xanthate in aqueous media by analysing the set of spectra from a UV- Spectrophotometer. Results show the effect of pH on the stability of certain compounds which can be useful to explain the relationships among xanthates and the hidrophobicity of some surfaces (or ions dissolved).