Frothing agents for use in froth flotation processes

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR CONCENTRATING MINERALS BY FLOTATION COMPRISING ADDING A FROTHER TO A MINERAL PULP, SAID FROTHER BEING A MEMBER OF THE CLASS CONSISTING OF AN ALKOXY SUBSTITUTED ACYCLIC HYDROCARBON, THE UNSUBSTITUTED HYDROCARBON CONTAINING FROM 4 TO 10 CARBON ATOMS, BEING SUBSTITUTED WITH FROM 4 TO 6 ALKOXY GROUPS HAVING NO MORE THAN ONE DI-SUBSTITUTED ALKOXY GROUPING AT A TERMINAL CARBON ATOM OF SAID HYDROCARBON,AND AN ALKOXY SUBSTITUTED ACYCLIC STRAIGHT CHAIN HYDROCARBON CONTAINING FROM 4 TO 10 CARBON ATOMS IN THE HYDROCARBON CHAIN AND SUBSTITUTED WITH FROM 3 TO 5 ALKOXY GROUPS AND ONE DIVALENT OXYGEN, THE ALKOXY SUBSTITUTENTS BEING CONNECTED TO THE HYDROCARBON CHAIN BY A C-O-C ETHER LINKAGE, HAVING NO MORE THAT ONE DI-SUBSTITUTED ALKOXY GROUPING AT A TERMINAL CARBON ATOM OF SAID HYDROCARBON AND BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF METHOXY, ETHOXY, NORMAL PROPOXY ISOPROPOXY, METHOXY-ETHOXY AND ETHOXY-ETHOXY AND THEREAFTER SUBJECTING THE RESULTING MIXTURE TO A FLOTATION OPERATION.