Abstract: In order to efficiently utilize a copper ore in Jiujiang，aiming at the problems of complex copper mineral composition and more copper loss，the embedded characteristics of copper in flotation tailings was studied by using MLA and other instruments. The results show that the copper in the ore mainly exists in the form of primary copper sulfide，and its distribution rate is 88.09%. The rest is mainly secondary copper sulfide，accounting for 10.12%. The copper minerals are generally fine-grained，with +0.074 mm fraction accounting for 60.18%，+0.037 mm fraction accounting for 82.52%，and +0.019 mm fraction accounting for 95%. The grain size of galena and sphalerite is small，and the +0.074 mm fraction accounts for 40.25% and 58.58%，respectively. Considering the particle size of minerals，the liberation degree of chalcopyrite is lower than that of pyrite during the grinding process. The dissociation degree of copper min⁃ erals and pyrite in -2 mm raw ore is 34.5% and 59.5% respectively.

Key words: MLA, chalcopyrite, embedded characteristics