Atomistic simulation techniques have been used to calculate the surface structure and stability of wollastonite crystal and its adsorption behaviour in the presence of molecular and dissociated water, and two widely used collector head group molecules of methanoic acid and methylamine. Seven predominant surfaces have been modelled and their calculated surface energies correspond well with their preferred morphological domination. Surfaces are identified having fourfold and threefold coordination of surface silicon. Threefold surface silicon are stabilized by addition of hydroxyl ion on them and proton on surface oxygen. Stable surfaces thus obtained are subjected to surface Ca2+ replacement by 2H(+) by transforming 2O(2-) to 2OH(-). Surface energy and reaction energy values indicate wollastonite surface stabilized to a great extent by adsorbing water in dissociated form. The Ca2+ replacement from the first few layers of the surface is energetically more favourable in acidic condition. Three Miller indexed surfaces terminating with fully coordinated silicon were reconstructed to make the surface free of one oxygen, and these surface cuts were chosen to carry out simulation work for adsorption of molecules. A comparison of surface energies revealed that all the surfaces become stabilized in the presence of added molecules but the presence of methylamine decreases surface energy to lowest values. Adsorption of dissociated water is preferred by {100} and {102} surfaces, while {001} surface adsorbs methylamine strongly as the results show highly negative adsorption energies. In terms of pure molecule adsorption, the preferred adsorption sequence for all the surfaces is methylamine>methanoic acid>water. For {100} and {102} predominant surfaces, the difference in adsorption energy values is not much and we conclude that the collectors having long-chain hydrophobic alkyl chain, the two head group molecules considered, cannot render enough hydrophobicity due to inadequate adsorption on wollastonite. Thus the presence of activators/modifiers in actual wollastonite flotation practice is substantiated. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.