The surface characteristics of Cp under various processing related
conditions are important for its processing by froth flotation. Conventional
X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), scanning Auger microscopy
(SAM), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS),
Raman spectroscopy, ATR FTIR spectroscopy and a combination thereof,
have previously been used to study the surface chemistry of sulfide
minerals during exposure to solution and its effects on flotation [5–9].
These studies reveal that the S in xanthate interacts with copper metal
ions on the Cp surface to form chemisorbed xanthate (chemisorption)
or interacts with released cupric ions in solution to form molecular
CuEX and deposits on Cp surface (adsorption). Both chemisorbed xanthate
and molecular CuEX are hydrophobic in nature. The floatability of
sulfide minerals is greatly influenced by the ratio of the hydrophobic to
hydrophilic species and their distribution on mineral surfaces [10,11].