Development of principles of selection of reagents for flotation of antimony and bismuth minerals

Abstract

3D models of clusters of antimony and bismuth sulfides were constructed. For these models, the charges of individual atoms and the electron populations of s-Pop, p-Pop, and d-Pop orbitals were determined. Collector activity evaluation prediction (CAEP) was made for a number of proposed reagents attached to atoms of clusters of minerals. CAEP characterizes the activity of a collector: the lower CAEP, the more preferable the interaction of the collector and the more efficient the flotation reagent. For flotation of antimony and bismuth minerals, a number of promising collectors were recommended.