The effectiveness of ore enrichment is often determined by the surface properties of the particles in the ore, rather than by other properties. The surfaces of fine minerals in ores are characterized by specific physical and chemical properties. The surfaces-natural or formed as a result of processing of the ore (splitting, refinement, washing etc)-possess characteristics that can be used as the basis for various enrichment methods: e.g. flotation utilizes wettability and adsorptive capacity of particles. This approach can also be applied to the physical methods of ore enrichment. Significant achievements on the technical and theoretical aspects of fine mineral surfaces have been made in recent years. For example, new ideas have been developed, concerning the possibilities of integrating the zonal theory in physics with the theory of adsorbtion in the language of diagram interaction and boundary orbitals. This allows evaluation of physical methods of enrichment from a new perspective. In this paper, the main adsorbophysical characteristics of precious metals are compared with other minerals, and the basis of the adsorbophysical separating methods are discussed. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.