Absorb. To drink in, suck up, like a sponge.
Adsorb. To condense and hold a gas on the surface of a solid, particularly metals. From L. ad, to, and sorbeo, suck in.
Agitation is the act or state of being shaken, stirred, or moved with violence. From L. agitatus, agito, the frequent of ago, to drive.
Baffle. That which defeats or frustrates, hence the projections or wings that divert or interrupt the flow of pulp in a vessel.
Bubble. A globule of air or other gas rising in a liquid; also a vesicle of water or other liquid inflated with air or other gas.
Buoy. To keep from sinking, to keep afloat in a liquid.
Coal-Tar is a thick, black, viscid, and opaque liquid condensed when gas is distilled from coal. Such products consist of soluble and insoluble substances.
Coagulation. The state of a liquid resulting from clotting or curdling, the act of changing to a curd-like condition.
Concentrate. To draw or gather together to a common centre. To reduce to a purer state by the removal of non-essential matter. From L. con or cum, with, and centrum, a centre.
Contaminate. To make impure by contact or admixture.
Electro-statics. That branch of electrical science devoted to the phenomena of electricity at rest or of frictional electricity.
Emulsion. Milkification. A liquid mixture in which a fatty or resinous substance is suspended in minute globules. From L. emulgeo, to drain out, in turn from e, out, and mulgeo, milk.
Eucalyptus oil. The oil distilled from one of the Australian gum-trees, the eucalyptus amygdalina.
Fat is a white or yellowish substance forming the chief part of adipose tissue. It may be solid or liquid; it is insoluble in water; when treated with an alkali, the fatty acid unites with the alkaline base to make soap.
Film. A coating or layer, a thin membrane.
Flocculent means resembling wool, therefore woolly. Coalescing and adhering in flocks. A cloud-like mass of precipitate in a solution. From L. floccus, a lock of wool.
Flotation is the act or state of floating, from the French flottaison, water-line, and flotter, to float, to waft.
Flotation-feed. The crushed ore, pulp, or other mill-product that goes for treatment to the flotation plant.
Froth. A collection of bubbles resulting from fermentation, effervescence, or agitation.
Gangue. The non-metalliferous or non-valuable metalliferous minerals in the ore; veinstone.
Granulation is the state or process of being formed into grains or small particles. From L. granum, a grain.
Grease. Animal fat when soft. Also anything oily or unctuous. From the French graisse.
Levitation. The act of rendering light or buoyant. L. levitas, lightness, from levis, light.
Metallic. Of or belonging to metals, containing metals, more particularly the valuable metals that are the object of mining. From L. metallum. ore.
Mineral. Inorganic constituent of the earth’s crust. As used in flotation the terms ‘mineral’ or ‘metallic’ particles hark back to the French (mineral, ore) and Spanish {metal, ore) meanings. Both terms refer to those valuable constituents in the ore that it is the object of the process to separate from the non-valuable constituents, or gangue. Sometimes ‘metallic’ has reference to metallic lustre, one of the chief characteristics of metals and more particularly of those metallic sulphides that are especially amenable to flotation.
Modify. To change in character or properties.
Molecule. The smallest part of a substance that can exist separately and still retain its composition and characteristic properties; the smallest combination of atoms that will form a given chemical compound. From F. molecule, diminutive from L. moles, mass.
Nascent. Coming into being, beginning to develop. From L., nascens, being born.
Occlude. To shut or close pores or other openings. From L., ob, before, claudo, close.
Oleic Acid is fatty acid contained in olive oil combined with cresoline. Although called ‘acid’ it is an oily substance and functions as oil in flotation operations; it is contained in most mixed oils and fats, from which it is obtained by saponification with an alkali. From L. oleum, oil.
Oil includes (1) fatty oils and acids, (2) essential oils, mostly of vegetal origin, such as eucalyptus and turpentine, (3) mineral oils, such as petroleum products, including lubricating oils.
Oily and Greasy are substantially equivalent terms. All oils are greasy. Greasiness suggests more viscidity than oiliness.
Osmose. The tendency of two liquids or gases to mix by passing through a membrane or porous wall separating them. From G. osmos, pushing.
Pine-Oil is a derivative of wood-tar, as phenol and cresol are derivatives of coal-tar.
Pulp is powdered ore mixed with water.
Saponification. Conversion into soap; the process in which fatty substances form soap, by combination with an alkali. From L. sapo (n-), soap.
Scum. Impure or extraneous matter that rises or collects at the surface of liquids, as vegetation on stagnant water, or dross on a bath of molten metal.
Skin. An outside layer, coat, or covering. From A. S. scinn, ice.
Spitzkasten. A pointed box or inverted pyramidal vessel, with an outlet at its point for the separation of the components of an ore by gravity. German, spitze, point, kasten, chest.
Surface tension is the contractile force at the surface of a liquid whereby resistance is offered to rupture.
Vesicle. A small bladder-like cavity or hollow sphere of liquid. From vcsicula, diminutive from vesica, bladder.
Viscosity is the property of liquids that causes them to resist instantaneous change of their shape or of the arrangements of their parts; internal friction; gumminess. From L. viscum, birdlime.
