Process for separating minerals

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR SEPARATING MINERALS BY MEANS OF WATER AND A SECOND IMMISCIBLE LIQUID OF HIGHER SPECIFIC GAVITY THAN WATER COMPRISING, FINELY REDUCING SAID MINERALS TO A MAXIMUM PARTICLE SIZE OF ABOUT 60 MESH SO THAT SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF SAID PARTICLES WHEN WATER WETTED ARE CAPABLE OF BEING RETAINED WITHIN A WATER LAYER DESPITE THE TRUE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF SAID PARTICLES, WATER WETTING SAID PARTICLES, INTIMATELY ADMIXING SAID WATER WETTED PARTICLES WITH WATER AND SAID SECOND IMMISCIBLE LIQUID IN THE PRESENCE OF SELECTED SURFACE CONDITIONING REAGENTS WHICH CAUSE THE REPLACEMENT OF THE WATER FILM ADHERING TO PATICLES OF ONE MINERAL BY A FILM OF SAID SECOND LIQUID AND PERMIT RETENTION OF WATER FILMS BY PARTICLES OF ANOTHER MINERAL HAVING A HIGHER SPECIFIC GRAVITY THAN THE SECOND LIQUID, SAID SURFACE CONDITIONING REAGENTS BEING INCORPORATED INTO THE MINERAL MIXTURE PRIOR TO ADDITION OF SAID SECOND IMMISCIBLE LIQUID, PERMITTING THE TWO IMMISCIBLE LIQUIDS TO SEPARATE INTO LAYERS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF GRAVITY, REMOVING THE SELECTED WATER-WETTED MINERALS PARTICLES, INCLUDING PARTICLES OF SAID MINERAL OF HIGHER SPECIFIC GRAVITY THAN THE SECOND LIQUID, FROM THE UPPER WATER LAYER AND REMOVING THE PARTICLES OF SELECTED MINERAL WETTED BY THE SECOND LIQUID FROM SAID SECOND LIQUID LAYER.