Mechanism of Adsorption of Long-Chain Alkylamines on Silicates. A Spectroscopic Study. 1. Quartz

The mechanism of adsorption of long-chain alkylamines at pH 6−7 onto quartz was studied using FTIR and XPS spectroscopy. The spectroscopic data were correlated with ζ potential and Hallimond flotation results. For the first time it was shown that (1) amine cation in the first monolayer is H-bonded with surface silanol group and this H-bond becomes stronger after the break in the adsorption characteristics (isotherm, ζ potential, floatability); (2) at the break the origin of the adsorbed amine species changes qualitatively, and along with alkylammonium ion attached to deprotonated silanol group, molecular amine appears at the surface and, as a result, monolayer thick patches of well-oriented and densely packed adsorbed amine species form rendering the surface highly hydrophobic; and (3) at higher amine concentration, bulk precipitation of molecular amine takes place. The counterion was found to influence both these steps. A model of successive two-dimensional and three-dimensional precipitation was suggested to explain amine adsorption on a silicate surface.