Method of using polymeric sulfide mineral depressants

A method for the beneficiation of value sulfide minerals, from a sulfide ore containing said value sulfide minerals and a second sulfide mineral with selective separation of value sulfide minerals from said second mineral which comprises:

• (a) providing an aqueous pulp slurry of finely-divided, liberated ore particles;
• (b) conditioning said pulp slurry with an amount of a synthetic depressant effective to depress said second mineral, a value sulfide minerals collector and a frothing agent, respectively, said depressant comprising a polymer comprising:
• (i) x units of the formula:
• ##STR5## (ii) y units of the formula:
• ##STR6## (iii) z units of the formula:
• ##STR7## wherein each of R, R.sup.1 and R.sup.2, is, individually, hydrogen or a C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl group, R.sup.3 is hydrogen, a C.sub.1-C.sub.4 alkyl group or aryl, R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 are, individually, hydrogen a C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 hydrocarbon group or an aryl group and Z represents the polymerization residue of a mononer selected from the group consisting of acrylonitrile, styrene, a cationic, or acrylic, metacrylic or maleic acid or alkali metal salts or alkyl estes of said acids;
• X represents a residual mole percent fraction;
• y is a mole percent fraction ranging from about 1.0% to about 50.0%, by weight, based on the total weight of x, y, and z;
• z is a mole percent fraction ranging from about 0% to about 50.0%, by weight, same basis, and the molecular weight of said polymer is between about 1000 and about 1,000,000;
• and