An experimental investigation is presented on competitive flotation of zinc(II) and cadmium(II) ions from dilute aqueous solutions with sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (DBSNa) as the anionic surfactant and hexadecylpyridinium chloride (CPCl) as the cationic surfactant. The effect of inorganic ligands, i.e. cyanides, thiocyanides, sulfates, thiosulfates, nitrates, and perchlorates on the selectivity of cadmium(II) over zinc(II) is established. Separation of Cd(II) and Zn(II) ions by DBSNa is not occurred. The separation of Cd(II)/Zn(II) by CPCl in presence of inorganic ligands at concentration range from 0.01 M to 1.0 M increases in the sequence: CN^- ≤ SCN^- < SO₄^2- < S₂O₄^2-.