A novel dithiourea and its response to metal ions

The synthesis, characterization, and its response to metal ions of a novel thiourea N,N′-diethoxycarbonyl-N″,N‴-(1,2-ethylidene) dithiourea was reported. The results show that this dithiourea with new structure can react with Cu2+ and Ni2+ separately, and has a best selectivity to Fe3+ ions. Bench-scale flotation tests were also carried out, verifying it has higher copper flotation recovery and better selectivity to sulfide ores containing Cu compared with universal collectors.