Leading Scientific-research Institute of Chemical Technology, Moscow, Russia

A. V. Kurkov, Head of the Project Office, e-mail: avkurkov@vniiht.ru
I. V. Pastukhova, Leading Researcher

There are shown the results of studying the structure and mechanism of action of new phosphorus reagent — phosphorylated neonol (FN) by computer visualization method, modeling its behavior in the processes of enrichment of fluorite and rare metal ores. The presence of long hydrocarbon chain, several functional groups of different chemical nature, in phosphorus reagent molecule determines its unique properties: good solubility in water, on the one hand, and the high hydrophobicity at the flotation of minerals, on the other hand, the ability to form associates in the surface layer and change their conformations at different effects (pH, adding other organic and inorganic compounds in the pulp). It is shown that hydrogen bonds, stacking and hydrophobic interactions play a crucial role in the formation of colloidal associates, their shape, size and stability. The mechanism of interaction of phosphorylated neonol with the mineral surface is different: it is determined by the type of bonding between atoms in the mineral. For ores, in the minerals of which the ionic bonds (fluorite) are prevalent, the interaction is mainly performed with the anionic form of a collector: it is fixed by chemisorption. For ores, in the minerals of which the covalent bonds are prevalent, the collector is fixed by the physical adsorption of oxygen atoms of OE groups and the phosphoryl group. When interacting with columbite in an acidic medium, the formation of cyclic (ring) products is possible, such as crown ether with a perpendicular orientation of the stacking interactions. The control of the process of formation of associates can be performed by variation of the chemical structure of the collector, the nature and location of functional groups in it, as well as the adding of additional reagents adjusting the interaction of the collector with the surface and ensuring the optimal complementarity with conformational, electronic and electrostatic changes of properties of the collector.

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2. Kurkov A. V., Shatalov V. V., Pastukhova I. V. Flotation technology for concentration of tantalum, niobium and tin from refractory low-grade products. Abstracts of the XXII International Mineral Processing Congress. Cape Town, South Africa, SAIMM, 2003. p. 428.
3. Kurkov A. V., Pastukhova I. V. Sposob flotatsii rud redkikh metallov i olova (Flotation method of rare metals` ores and tin). Patent RF, No. 2381073, B 03 D 1/02. Applied : August 11, 2008. Published : July 10, 2010.
4. Kurkov A. V., Pastukhova I. V. Sobiratel dlya flotatsii flyuoritovykh rud (Collector for the flotation of fluorite ores). Patent RF, No. 2319550, В 03 D 1/014. Applied : July 11, 2006. Published : March 20, 2008.
5. Shatalov V. V., Kurkov A. V., Smirnov K. M. et al. Sposob pererabotki upornykh uranovykh, soderzhashchikh pirit i blagorodnye metally, materialov dlya izvlecheniya urana i polucheniya kontsentrata blagorodnykh metallov (Method of the processing of hard uranium materials, which contain pyrite and noble metals, for the extraction of uranium and obtaining of noble metals concentrate). Patent RF, No. 2398903, MPK С 22 В 60/02. Applied : March 30, 2009. Published : Septemper 10, 2010.

6. Solozhenkin P. M., Solozhenkin O. I. Tsvetnye Metally – Non-ferrous metals. 2010. No. 7. pp. 11–14.
7. Kurkov A. V. Flotatsiya kak predmet supramolekulyarnoy khimii – kontseptualnyy podkhod (Flotation as an object of supramolecular chemistry – conceptual approach). Nauchnye osnovy i sovremennye protsessy kompleksnoy pererabotki trudnoobogatimogo mineralnogo syrya (Plaksinskie chteniya 2010) : materialy mezhdunarodnogo soveshchaniya. Kazan, 13–18 sentyabrya 2010 (Scientific basis and modern processes of complex treatment of the difficult for concentration mineral raw materials (Plaksin`s readings 2010) : materials of international meeting. Kazan, September 13–18, 2010). Moscow, 2010. pp. 189–197.
8. Kurkov A. V., Pastukhova I. V. Fiziko-tekhnicheskie problemy razrabotki poleznykh iskopaemykh — Journal of Mining Science. 2010. No. 4. pp. 87–94.
9. Kurkov A. V., Pactukhova I. V. Flotation as the Subject-Matter of Supramolecular Chemistry. Journal of Mining Science. 2010. Vol. 46, No. 4. pp. 438-445.
10. Kurkov A. V. Reagenty vtorichnogo deystviya – instrument povysheniya effektivnosti flotatsii nesulfidnykh rud (Secondary reagents as an instrument of the efficiency increasing of nonsulfide ores flotation). II Kongress obogatiteley stran SNG : tezisy dokladov (The II Congress of the dressers from CIS countries : thesises of reports). 1999. p. 63.