In this paper, S-[(2-hydroxyamino)-2-oxoethyl]-N,N-dibutyl-dithiocarbamate (HABTC) wasfirst synthesizedand characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and FTIR. The role of HABTC’s hydroxamate anddithiocarbamate groups in chalcopyriteflotation was evaluated by micro-flotation, bench-scaleflotation,adsorption experiments, zeta potential and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). HABTC exhibitedexcellent affinity to chalcopyrite particles under pH 6–10 and achieved superiorflotation recovery ofcopper minerals in comparison with sodium isobutyl xanthate (SIBX). The adsorption thermodynamicsand kinetics elucidated that HABTC adsorption on to chalcopyrite surfaces was a spontaneouslyendothermic chemisorption process. Zeta potential demonstrated that HABTC might chemisorb on to thepositive sites of chalcopyrite surfaces. XPS spectra further revealed that both dithiocarbamate andhydroxamate groups of HABTC anchored on chalcopyrite surfaces through Cu(II)-hydroxamate and Cu(I)-dithiocarbamate configurations, resulting in an enhanced collecting power of HABTC to chalcopyriteparticles.