Mekhanobr Engineering JSC (Russia):

Zuev V. V., Doctor of Geology and Mineralogy, Leading Researcher, science@mekhanobr.spb.ru

The paper is dedicated to a theoretical explanation of properties of minerals, used in mineral processing. In particular, an attempt is made to understand special constitution of sulfide and other minerals, and their crucial distinction from gangue minerals. For this purpose, corresponding approaches, notions and parameters of solid-state physics are applied. The most important parameter of rigid bodies’ band models is forbidden bandwidth E_g (eV). By the value of this parameter, rigid bodies are subdivided into dielectrics (E_g ≥ 4 eV), semiconductors (0 < E_g ≤ 4 eV) and metals (E_g ≤ 0). In numerous publications, Eg values of most important homoatomic and heteroatomic compounds (including minerals) have been reviewed with theoretical interpretation and attempts of Eg quantitative estimation in representatives of different classes of inorganic compounds. Special attention is paid to understudied nature of metallic bonding dopants in ore minerals, as evidenced by practically all modern textbooks and manuals on mineralogy. It is shown, that two main types and corresponding notions of metallic bonding dopants should be distinguished in heteroatomic crystals (sulfides and their analogues, oxides, etc.): 1) as part of M–M interaction energy in total interatomic interaction power in lattices of metal (M) and nonmetal (X) compounds, put it differently, this is metallic chemical bonding dopant itself in heteroatomic crystals, with dominating ionic-covalent interaction M–X; 2) as degree of delocalization in crystal lattice of valence bonds clouds M–X, as a result of which elements appear (as electron bridges) of M–M interaction. Formulas for forbidden bandwidth value estimation are proposed for the both groups of minerals with demonstration of numerous calculations.

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