A state of the art review of pulp potentials in sulfide mineral flotation was presented. The measurement and interpretation of pulp potentials in sulfide mineral flotation dates back more than 30 years, yet the transfer of knowledge of pulp potential to industrial practice has been exceedingly slow. In this article, thermodynamic and kinetic issues were discussed to develop a rational scheme for interpretation of pulp potentials. Opportunities and challenges for using pulp potentials in industrial practice are discussed. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.