In this paper, the flotation performances and adsorption mechanism of a-hydroxyoctyl phosphinic acid (HPA) to cassiterite were investigated by adsorption experiments, micro-flotation tests, zeta potential measurements, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses. The micro-flotation results indicated that compared with styrene phosphonic acid (SPA), diphosphonic acid (DPA), benzohydroxamic acid (BHA) and salicylhydroxamic acid (SHA), HPA exhibited excellent collecting power to cassiterite and superior selectivity against magnetite or hematite over a wide pH range. The results of adsorption experiments and zeta potential deduced that HPA chemisorb on cassiterite surfaces. The results of FTIR inferred HPA chemisorb onto cassiterite surfaces through its P and 0 atoms with the P-H and O-H bonds broken. XPS analysis further demonstrated HPA react with Sn species by formation of Sn-O-P and Sn-P bond. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier B.V.