For understanding the mineralogical characteristic and trace element affinities to specific minerals in coals, a combined method has been adopted and evaluated, which is low temperature oxygen-plasma ashing followed by float-sink density separation in bromoform. Mineral matter would be isolated from coals, and light (<2.89 g/cm(3)) and heavy (>2.89 g/cm(3)) mineral fractions would be separated from coal low temperature ash residues. Coals collected from three coalfields in China, namely Xiaolongtan (XLT), Huolinhe (HLH) and Yangquan (YQ), have been studied. Mineralogical characteristic of coals was characterized by X-ray diffraction and a field emission scanning electron microscope equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The distributions of trace elements in coals, low temperature ashes, and light and heavy mineral fractions were determined by inductively coupled-plasma mass spectrometry. The results show that minerals of different densities in coal can be successfully isolated and separated into two mineral fractions with the help of the combined method. Phase-mineral compositions in light mineral fraction of each coal are very similar to those in the respective low temperature ashes as a whole. Phases identified in the heavy mineral fraction are completely different from those in the low temperature ash and the light mineral fraction of each coal. Pyrite dominates in the heavy mineral fractions froth the three coals, which constitutes up 48.7 wt.%, 82.9 wt%, and 100 wt.% in the heavy mineral fraction of YQ, XLT, and HLH coals, respectively. Pyrite particles mostly occur as euhedral crystals, which display well-defined shapes, such as pentagonal dodecahedra, tetrakaidecahedra, cubes, decahedra, and regular octahedra. Framboid and massive pyrite are also clearly observed. Trace elements Pb, Cd, Mo, Cu, Tl, Sn, Sb, and Zn have a strong affinity to pyrite; elements Ni and Co are likely to occur in pyrite or ankerite; elements Sr, Hf, Li, V, Ga, Rb, Ba, Nb, Cs, U, Th, and Zr are associated with clay minerals and quartz; rare earth elements are clearly associated with clay minerals. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.