Honored Worker of Science and Technology, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor of the Leningrad Mining Institute K. F. Beloglazov was born on November 13, 1887 in Kamyshin, Saratov Province, in the family of a clerk. He graduated from a real school in Penza, and then entered the St. Petersburg Mining Institute. Here began the scientific work of the future scientist. While still a student (1911) he developed the methodology of quantitative chemical analysis. His diploma work - Melting diagram and microstructure of copper-antimony alloys was awarded the prize of K. I. Lisenko and published in parts. By the decision of the Institute Council K. F. Beloglazov was retained at the Institute as an assistant to Academician N. S. Kurnakov at the Department of Analytical Chemistry. Scientific creativity of K. F. Beloglazov was directed to the solution of the largest problems of the national economy. Thus, his most characteristic works are the following: physicochemical analysis, chemical technology and chemical analysis, quantitative chemical and mineralogical analysis and physical chemistry of mineral enrichment processes. The List of works of K.F. Beloglazov is enclosed.

For more than a quarter of a century it has been incessantly said about the lag between the theory of the flotation process and its practice. All figures in the field of flotation know it. However, until now none of the enrichers has put and tried to solve the question about the reasons of such an unacceptable and harmful situation. My report is intended to give an overview of the history of development and the state of the question of the theory of flotation abroad. At the same time, at the end of the report I will allow myself as a prerequisite for the next report to make some conclusions about the ways in which the domestic flotation science should move in order to rise to a height that meets the requirements of our remarkable era. I do not know if there is a more striking example than flotation of the way in which in the capitalist world science is being made an instrument of profit by certain powerful financial groups.

By a theory of the flotation process we will conditionally understand only such a concept which, accepting at least a hypothetical but probable explanation of the basic mechanism of the process, makes it possible to predict quantitatively with greater or lesser accuracy the course of the flotation process in time when its conditions change or when one or more of the links constituting the process are affected. Only such a theory will allow to consciously manage the process in the factory and to reduce to a minimum the number of control experiments. The only criterion for the correctness of such a theory can only be the quantitative coincidence of the prediction with the facts of practice, i.e. the results of flotation experiments. My book and represents an attempt to build such a theory of the process, so I gave it the subtitle Experience of the theory of the flotation process. I shall dwell only on some sections of the book and describe in more detail the path that led me to the hypothesis of the molecular mechanism of particle attachment to the bubble.

In March and April 1951, a seminar-discussion on the theory of flotation was held at the Leningrad Mining Institute. The seminar was attended by about 140 people representing 15 scientific organizations. Six sessions were held, at which three papers were heard and discussed: К. F. Beloglazova - Historical review of the development of the theory of flotation process abroad; К. F. Beloglazova - Basic regularities of the flotation process; С. I. Mitrofanova - Current state of the theory of flotation process. The liveliest discussion unfolded on the second report of K. F. Beloglazov. In the speeches was given a general assessment of the book by K. F. Beloglazov Laws of the flotation process, made a number of critical comments on some sections of the work and outlined further ways of development of research on the theory of the flotation process. A systematic presentation of the discussion on this work is given in an abbreviated form. At the end of the review there is a concluding word of Prof. K. F. Beloglazov, in which the questions not resolved in the discussion are clarified.

The present state of our knowledge of the free surface energy (surface tension) of even simple binary solutions cannot be recognized as orderly. This state of theory is aggravated by the anarchically disordered state of experimental data. The abundance of methods for determining surface tension, until now mutually uncorrected, make all the huge accumulated now and continuously increasing material of experiments completely unsuitable for verifying any conclusions or, what is worse, suitable for confirming any deduced equation. Up to the present time there is no independent method, other than the simple comparison of results usually adopted, by which the results obtained by experiments can be corrected. The object of the present work is to derive a general equation for the free surface energy of binary solutions, and to find a method of testing the fairness of experimental data for determining the surface tension.

D. I. Mendeleev as early as 1860 pointed out the existence of a simple relationship between the composition of liquids and the value of the capillary constant. His equation expressing the molecular cohesion of a liquid as the doubled product of surface energy (tension) by molecular weight was the first of a large number of equations expressing the same idea. Twenty-six years later, R. Eötvösch, based on van der Waals' doctrine of corresponding states, found an equation relating liquid composition, temperature, and surface free energy (see article). By means of this equation, as R. Eötvösch pointed out, it is possible to compare the states of molecules in vapors and in liquids by the magnitude of the deviations of the universal constant from the universal value.

This work was aimed at finding out the need to control the alkalinity of the pulp at the Khibinogorsk concentrator. The main attention in the work was paid to the study of the properties of minerals and flotation of apatite with different pulp alkalinity. Experiments showed that the process of dissolving apatite in the pulp is very slow and does not reach a state of equilibrium within 60 minutes (for large fraction - 20 mesh). The article provides potentiometric measurements and test results. During apatite flotation, the alkalinity of the pulp significantly affects the results of the process. High alkalinity reduces the concentrate recovery rate, and for a given flotation duration, apatite recovery is reduced. Increasing the consumption of oleic acid speeds up the process.