DETECTION OF COLLECTORS ON CONCENTRATOR MINERAL GRAINS BY TIME-OF-FLIGHT SECONDARY-ION MASS-SPECTROMETRY (TOF-SIMS)

TOF-SIMS (time of flight secondary-ion mass spectrometry) was used to detect, identify and determine the relative concentrations of collecto rs sorbed on to the surface of mineral particles in concentrate and ta ilings samples from the Kidd Creek, Brunswick and Matagami concentrato rs, Canada. Parent molecular ions were used to identify the collectors . In the zinc circuit at Kidd Creek sphalerite lost to the tailings ca rried, on average, one-quarter of the amount of isobutyl xanthate pres ent on sphalerite recovered to the Zn final concentrate. Xanthate was also detected on floated particles of pyrite. Amyl xanthate, which is not reported to be added to the circuit, was also detected on floated sphalerite and pyrite particles. In the Brunswick zinc circuit sphaler ite particles lost to the scavenger tails had ten times less amyl xant hate and isobutyl xanthate than sphalerite recovered to the Zn final c oncentrate. Both xanthates were detected on the surface of sphalerite particles floated to the Cu-Pb cleaner concentrate. At Matagami signif icantly more isopropyl xanthate and isobutyl dithiophosphate were dete cted on sphalerite recovered to the Zn final concentrate than on sphal erite lost to the Zn rougher tails. The study demonstrated the ability of TOF-SIMS to detect individual collectors on the surfaces of minera l particles from plant samples and shows that the technique provides a n excellent tool, complementary to time of flight laser-ionization mas s spectrometry (TOF-LIMS), for establishing the surface compositions o f minerals in mineral processing applications.