Surfactant Synthesis And Applied Research In The Electrolysis Of Copper

It was studied in this article what influences will bring out when the molecular structure of the surfactant be changed. And it was discussed the possibility of this kind of surfactant being additive applying in the copper electrolysis according to the result of the experiments of the copper electrolysis. Also, it was compared the differences between this surfactant and Avitone-A. Avitone-A is produced by Du Pont Company of United States and is used for additive by a lot of foreign copper electrolysis refineries. While it is used only by one plant which is Jinlong Copper Company in China. And it is considered be effective by Jinlong Copper Company in improving the quality of catholic deposit of copper under high current density. In China, as the produce scale of copper is trending to mass production and ISA electrolytic technology is adopted more and more, it is advantage to enhance the current density during the eletrorefining process in order to increase the productivity of copper. So a new active additive which is effective under high current density will be needed. It is discussed in this paper that what influences resulting from the molecular structure' s change will bring out on the character of the surfactant which is selected in the early research of this subject. The major influence element is found. Applying the new additive to the copper electrolysis refining ,it can be confirm basing on the result of the electrolytic experiments that the new additive is more active than Aviton-A, and it behave excellently during the copper electric refining under high electric current density .The new additive can be the substitute of Avitone-A.There are three steps involved in the research. Firstly, synthesizing the surfactants; Secondly, testing and analyzing thecharacters of the surfactants; Thirdly, applying the surfactants to the copper electrolysis. During the first step, it is requested to prepare three kinds of alkanes which are different in the length of the hydrocarbon chains. The suited alkanes which are numbered 1#,2#,3# are acquired by the vacuum distillations of paraffin. After chlorosulfonation .three kinds of surfactants are acquired which are named surfactant 1#, 2#,3#. In the second step, the physicochemical properties are compared among the homologous series 1#, 2#,3# and the conclusion are got that the surface activity of the additives from high to low in turn is :3#,2#, 1#, i. e. the longer the carbon chain is, the more active the additive is .During the third process, it is requested to select the better technological conditions. Under the conditions, the quality of catholic deposit of copper are compared between without surfactant and with additive 1#,2#,3#, Avitone-A during the eletroref ining process. The metallographs which are zoomed in 400 times show that when the electrolytic process without additive, the surface conditions of the catholic copper are poorer than when the process with additive. It also tell that the additive 38 is the best, and the additive 28 is approximate to Avitone-A, in contrast the additive in is baddish. The quality of the cathode also be compared under different current density. The results of the experiments indicate that under high current density, the additive 3# still is the best one, the additive 2# is approximate to Avitone-A, the additive 18 is baddish. Finally, the conclusion can be drawn that the surface activity can be enhance as a result of increasing the length of the hydrophobe hydrocarbone chain,at the same time improving the properties of the additive Itself being addition agent during the copper eletrorefining process. The property of the sulfonate which aliphatic hydrocarbons containing from 14 to 19 carbone atoms is poorer than the property of Avitone-A. The sulfonate which aliphatic hydrocarbons containing from 17 to 22carbon atoms is approximate to Avitone-A. The sulfonate which aliphatic hydrocarbons containing from 22 to 26 carbon atoms is better than Avitone-A. The additive 3# can be substitute of Avitone-A and it still can be effect...