AN ELECTROCHEMICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE DIETHYLDITHIOCARBAMATE GALENA FLOTATION SYSTEM

The thermodynamics of the diethyldithiocarbamate-galena system and the electrode kinetics processes of a galena electrode in the absence and presence of diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC or D- for short) were studied. The results show that the surface reaction product of DDTC on galena is lead diethyldithiocarbamate (PbD2) and that the reaction of DDTC on galena is characterized by fast rate, strong adsorption and high critical pH. A new attempt was made to apply the interfacial resistance technique to study the adsorption of reaction products on galena. The relationship between the coverage of adsorbed products and interfacial resistance and the electrode potential was derived mathematically, by which the experimental results were perfectly interpreted. This study provides a theoretical foundation for the application of DDTC to the practical galena flotation circuits.