Sodium ethyl xanthate

Sodium ethyl xanthate (SEX) is an organosulfur compound with the chemical formula CH3CH2OCS2Na. It is a pale yellow powder, which is usually obtained as the dihydrate. Sodium ethyl xanthate is used in the mining industry as a flotation agent. A closely related potassium ethyl xanthate (KEX) is obtained as the anhydrous salt. Sodium ethyl xanthate (SEX) is an organosulfur compound with the chemical formula CH3CH2OCS2Na. It is a pale yellow powder, which is usually obtained as the dihydrate. Sodium ethyl xanthate is used in the mining industry as a flotation agent. A closely related potassium ethyl xanthate (KEX) is obtained as the anhydrous salt. As with most xanthates, sodium ethyl xanthate can be prepared by treating sodium ethoxide with carbon disulfide: Sodium ethyl xanthate is a pale yellow powder. It is relatively stable in water at high pH if not heated. It rapidly hydrolyses at pH <9 at 25 °C. It is the conjugate base of the unknown strong acid with pKa of 1.6 and pKb estimated as 12.4 for the conjugate base. Sodium ethyl xanthate easily adsorbs on the surface of solid sulfides. Xanthate are susceptible to hydrolysis and oxidation: