Fine-size particles of coal and pyrite were suspended in aqueous solutions of various salts and agglomerated with heptane. The agglomerates were recovered by screening. For highly oleophilic Upper Freeport coal, the addition of a salt to the suspension improved the recovery, whereas for weakly oleophilic Illinois No. 6 coal or pyrite the addition of salt reduced the recovery. The improvement in recovery of Upper Freeport coal was independent of the type of salt, provided the ionic strength was held constant and complexation was avoided. On the other hand, the reduction in pyrite recovery was dependent on the type of salt with the effect increasing in the following order: NaCl < CaCl: < MgCl2. The agglomeration of both Upper Freeport coal and Illinois No. 6 coal was suppressed by adsorption of the metal hydroxy complexes of certain multivalent cations within specific and relatively narrow ranges of pH.