Beneficiation of the non-ferrous metal values of oxide-containing materials

In a process of removing iron from an oxide containing material comprising iron oxide in the presence of a non-ferrous metal oxide wherein the iron oxide in the oxide containing material is selectively reduced to iron while leaving non-ferrous metal oxide substantially unreduced, the improvement whereby segregation of the iron thus obtained is enhanced, said improvement comprising heating said oxide-containing material with a solid carbonaceous material in a bath of molten salt to a temperature in the range from 750.degree. to 1300.degree. C, wherein said salt comprises at least one chloride selected from the group consisting of alkali metal chlorides and alkaline earth metal chlorides.