Kinetics and thermochemistry of amyl xanthate adsorption by pyrite and marcasite

The kinetics and thermochemistry of the xanthate adsorption reaction on pyrite and marcasite were evaluated with respect to the existing theory. The rate of xanthate adsorption was studied in a stirred reactor and the xanthate concentration was determined by UV spectrophotometry as a function of time. The heat of the adsorption reaction was measured with a microcalorimeter. The results from both experiments indicate that xanthate adsorption by pyrite or marcasite involves the formation of dixanthogen by an electrochemical reaction at the solid surface which supports the conclusions of other investigators:

$\text{1}\text{2}\text{O}{}_2\text{(aq) =}\text{1}\text{2}\text{O}{}_2\text{(ad) 2X + 2H}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+}\text{1}\text{2}\text{O}{}_2\text{→ X}{}_2\text{(ad) + H}{}_2\text{O}$

The rate of the adsorption reaction was found to be approximately one-half order with respect to the xanthate concentration and to have an activation energy of 7.5 kcal/mole. Additionally, the rate was found to have a slight dependence on pH under certain conditions. In view of these results, it appears that the adsorption reaction is controlled by electrochemical discharge at the pyrite surface. Analysis of the data in terms of an electrochemical kinetic model successfully explained the observed rate phenomena.The measured heat of the adsorption reaction at low pH was found to be between ?63 and ?56 kcal/mole of adsorbed dixanthogen and independent of surface coverage. These experimental heats of adsorption agree with the value of ?57 kcal/mole of dixanthogen calculated for the oxidation of xanthate by oxygen from thermodynamic data reported in the literature.