Sodium Ethyl Xanthate (SEX) is a medium-strength collector with high selectivity, widely used in the flotation processing of various sulfide ores.

This effective flotation reagent is commonly used in the mining industry to recover valuable minerals, including copper, lead, zinc, and iron sulfide ores. Due to its excellent flotation performance and high selectivity, Sodium Ethyl Xanthate is an important reagent in mineral processing and ore beneficiation operations.

With a purity of ≥90%, our Sodium Ethyl Xanthate provides reliable flotation performance, improved mineral recovery, and cost-effective operation in flotation circuits.

Key Properties

• Chemical Formula: C₃H₅NaOS₂
• Molecular Weight: 144.19 g mol⁻¹
• Appearance: Yellow to greenish-yellow powder or crystals
• Density: 1.263 g/cm³
• Purity: ≥90%
• Melting Point: 182–256°C
• Boiling Point: Decomposes
• Solubility: 450 g/L (10°C); readily soluble in water and ethanol
• Acid Dissociation Constant (pKa): 1.6
• Basicity (pKb): 12.4

Applications

Sodium Ethyl Xanthate is the shortest carbon-chain xanthate collector and is widely used where high selectivity is required. Main applications include:

• Froth flotation of sulfide ores and complex sulfide ores
• Selective flotation of non-ferrous metal sulfides
• Recovery of copper, lead, zinc, and iron sulfide minerals
• As a flotation reagent in mineral processing plants

Because of its selective collecting properties, SEX is particularly suitable for flotation circuits where separation selectivity matters more than maximum collecting power.