Kinetics and Mechanism of Hydrothermal Interaction Between Sphalerite and Copper Sulfate.

In experiments involving both synthetic and natural sphalerite it was established that the synthetic sulfide is characterized by minimum reactivity. The extraction of zinc is 10 to 15% less and the precipitation of copper is 25 to 40% less than in the case of natural sphalerite. A direct relation is revealed between the iron content in the sample and the precipitation of copper or the dissolution of zinc. When the sphalerite has a lead content in excess of 0. 8%, the zinc extraction is reduced and the copper precipitation increases proportionately.