Novel chelating surfactant 5-heptyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione: Its synthesis and flotation separation of malachite against quartz and calcite

A novel chelating surfactant 5-heptyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione (HpTT) was synthesized and originally introduced as a collector for flotation separation of malachite from quartz and calcite. Micro-flotation results showed that HpTT exhibited better flotation selectivity for malachite against calcite and quartz than octyl hydroxamic acid (OHA), and achieved the efficient flotation separation of malachite from its mixture with calcite or quartz under pH 6.5-11.5. The contact angle results deduced a strong hydrophobization of HpTT to malachite. Zeta potential demonstrated that HpTT possessed a selective affinity to malachite against quartz and calcite, and might anchor on malachite via specific adsorption. UV spectra gave clear evidences that HOT selectively responded to Cu2+ and Cu+ ions, but hardly to Ca2+ ions. FTIR confirmed the adsorption of HpTT on malachite surfaces. XPS recommended that the surface HpTT-Cu(I) complexes were produced on malachite surfaces with reducing the surface Cu(II) to Cu(I) and building the Cu-S and Cu-N bonds.