Extraction and Quantitative Analysis of Elemental Sulfur from Sulfide Mineral Surfaces by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

A simple method for the quantitative determination of elemental sulfur on oxidized sulfide minerals is described. Extraction of elemental sulfur in perchloroethylene and subsequent analysis with high-performance liquid chromatography were used to ascertain the total elemental sulfur resulting from the oxidation of arsenopyrite, pyrite, marcasite, chalcopyrite, and chalcocite under various conditions. An initial pretreatment to remove any sulfur already present on the mineral surface created a chemically clean surface and guaranteed that any elemental sulfur observed was the result of the laboratory oxidation experiments. Because the extraction method and chromatographic analysis are performed ex situ and are not constrained by the parameters of the experimental oxidation reaction, the method can be used for the quantification of elemental sulfur after any laboratory experiment.