The thicker the hydration film on the mineral surface, the higher the degree of wetting of the mineral, the more hydrophilic; on the contrary, the thinner the hydration film on the mineral surface, the less likely the mineral surface is wetted by water IV, which is hydrophobic. Therefore, the thickness of the hydration film directly reflects the wettability of the mineral surface. Hydration is consistent with the wettability of the mineral surface, as opposed to floatability.

During the flotation process, the ore particles and the bubbles are close to each other, and the ordinary water separated by the gap between the two is removed first. The molecules of ordinary water are disordered and free, so it is easy to be squeezed out. When the ore particles get closer to the bubbles, the hydration film on the mineral surface becomes thinner by the repulsion surface of the bubbles.