Copper Smelting an overview ScienceDirect Topics
Accidental activation of sphalerite by Cu 2 ions released from copper minerals can be countered by the addition of cyanide In this role the cyanide could be classed as a deactivator The cyanide acts by reacting with copper in solution first reducing Cu 2 to Cu then forming soluble cupro cyanide complexes Cu CN x 1− x Cu CN 2 − which are stable and prevent the uptake of