(a) providing a pulp comprising solids and water, wherein the solids comprise the first mineral;

(b) adding a first depressant to the pulp;

(c) subjecting the pulp to a froth flotation process to produce a froth comprising the first mineral; and

(d) recovering the froth; wherein the first mineral is a sulfide mineral, and the first depressant consists of one or more dithiocarbamic acids or salts thereof of formula (I) wherein

R¹ represents a first substituent having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms and comprising at least one functional group selected from alcohols, amines, ethers, ketones, acetals, ketals, aminoacetals, hemiaminal ethers or combinations thereof, preferably selected from alcohols, amines, ethers or combinations thereof, wherein R¹ comprises at most two amine functional groups; and

R² represents H or a second substituent having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms and optionally comprising at least one functional group selected from alcohols, amines, ethers, ketones, acetals, ketals, aminoacetals, hemiaminal ethers or combinations thereof, preferably selected from alcohols, amines, ethers or combinations thereof; or

R¹ and R² are connected to form a heterocyclic 3 to 7 membered ring comprising at least 2 heteroatoms, which is optionally substituted with one, two or three functional groups selected from -OH, C₁-C₄ alkyl, C₂-C₄ alkenyl, C₁-C₄ hydroxyalkyl, -NR^aR^b and combinations thereof, wherein R^a and R^b are independently selected from H and C₁-C₄ alkyl; and

R³ represents hydrogen or a cation; with the provisio that when R¹ comprises no other functional groups than alcohols, the process does not comprise the use of a second depressant selected from polymers comprising an allyl thiourea functional group and a hydrophilic acrylamide group; characterized in that recovering the froth in step (d) provides a second pulp comprising the first mineral which has an increased concentration of the first mineral based on dry weight, compared to the pulp provided in step (a).

2. The process of claim 1 wherein R¹ represents a first substituent having from 2 to 5 carbon atoms and comprising one or two functional groups selected from amines, ethers or combinations thereof.

3. The process of claim 1 or 2 wherein R¹ represents a first substituent having from 2 to 5 carbon atoms and comprising one or two alcohols.

4. The process of claim 1 or 2 wherein R¹ represents a first substituent having from 2 to 5 carbon atoms a comprising one secondary or tertiary amine, preferably R¹ represents a first substituent having from 4 to 5 carbon atoms and comprising one tertiary amine.

5. The process of any one of claims 1-4, preferably of claims 3 or 4 wherein R¹ and R² are identical.

6. The process of any one of claims 1-4, preferably of claims 3 or 4 wherein R² represents H, phenyl or a Ci-C₅ alkyl, preferably R² represents H, phenyl or a C -C alkyl.

7. The process of claim 1 wherein R¹ and R² are connected to form a heterocyclic 5 or 6 membered ring comprising 2 heteroatoms selected from N and O, which is optionally substituted with a single functional group selected from - C₁-C₄ alkyl, preferably the heterocyclic ring is substituted with a single methyl group. 8. The process of claim 1 wherein the dithiocarbamic acids or salts thereof of formula (I) are selected from the group consisting of compounds 1,3-20 acid as defined in the following table or a salt thereof, preferably compounds 1, 3-6, 8-10, 12-20 acid as defined in the following table, or a salt thereof, more preferably compound 1, 3, 8, 9 acid as defined in the following table, or a salt thereof:

9. A process for recovering a first mineral comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a pulp comprising solids and water, wherein the solids comprise the first mineral; (b) adding a first depressant to the pulp;

(c) subjecting the pulp to a froth flotation process to produce a froth comprising the first mineral; and

(d) recovering the froth; characterized in that the first mineral is a sulfide mineral, and the first depressant consists of one or more dithiocarbamic acids or salts thereof of formula (I) wherein R¹ represents a first substituent having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms and comprising at least one functional group selected from alcohols, amines, ethers, ketones, acetals, ketals, aminoacetals, hemiaminal ethers or combinations thereof, preferably selected from alcohols, amines, ethers or combinations thereof, wherein R¹ comprises at most two amine functional groups; and

R² represents H or a second substituent having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms and optionally comprising at least one functional group selected from alcohols, amines, ethers, ketones, acetals, ketals, aminoacetals, hemiaminal ethers or combinations thereof, preferably selected from alcohols, amines, ethers or combinations thereof; or

R¹ and R² are connected to form a heterocyclic 3 to 7 membered ring comprising at least 2 heteroatoms, which is optionally substituted with one, two or three functional groups selected from -OH, C₁-C₄ alkyl, C₂-C₄ alkenyl, C₁-C₄ hydroxyalkyl, -NR^aR^b and combinations thereof, wherein R^a and R^b are independently selected from H and C₁-C₄ alkyl; and

R³ represents hydrogen or a cation; with the provisio that when R¹ comprises no other functional groups than alcohols, the process does not comprise the use of a second depressant selected from polymers comprising an allyl thiourea functional group and a hydrophilic acrylamide group; with the provisio that the first depressant is not l\l-(2-aminoethyl)dithiocarbamic acid or a salt thereof.

10. The process of claim 9 wherein R¹ represents a first substituent having from 2 to 5 carbon atoms and comprising one or two functional groups selected from amines, ethers or combinations thereof.

11. The process of claim 9 or 10 wherein R¹ represents a first substituent having from 2 to 5 carbon atoms and comprising one or two alcohols.

12. The process of claim 9 or 10 wherein R¹ represents a first substituent having from 2 to 5 carbon atoms a comprising one secondary or tertiary amine, preferably R¹ represents a first substituent having from 4 to 5 carbon atoms and comprising one tertiary amine.

13. The process of any one of claims 9-12, preferably of claims 11 or 12 wherein R¹ and R² are identical.

14. The process of any one of claims 9-12, preferably of claims 11 or 12 wherein R² represents H, phenyl or a C₁-C₅ alkyl, preferably R² represents H, phenyl or a C₁-C₂ alkyl.

15. The process of claim 9 wherein R¹ and R² are connected to form a heterocyclic 5 or 6 membered ring comprising 2 heteroatoms selected from N and 0, which is optionally substituted with a single functional group selected from - C₁-C₄ alkyl, preferably the heterocyclic ring is substituted with a single methyl group.

16. The process of claim 9 wherein the dithiocarbamic acids or salts thereof of formula (I) are selected from the group consisting of compounds 1,3-18, 20 acid as defined in the following table or a salt thereof, preferably compounds 1, 3-6, 8-10, 12-18, 20 acid as defined in the following table, or a salt thereof, more preferably compound 1, 3, 8, 9 acid as defined in the following table, or a salt thereof:

17. The process of any one of claims 1-16 wherein the first mineral is a molybdenum sulfide mineral, preferably the first mineral is molybdenite and wherein the solids comprising the first mineral further comprises a second mineral and the process comprises depressing the second mineral into the pulp.

18. The process of claim 17 wherein the second mineral is a sulfide mineral, preferably a sulfide mineral selected from the group consisting of Chalcopyrite, Chalcocite, Covellite, Pyrite, Bornite, Sphalerite, and combinations thereof, preferably Chalcopyrite.

19. The process of any one of claims 1-18, preferably of claim 18 wherein the pulp provided in step (a) further comprises a collector, preferably a collector selected from the group consisting of xanthates, xanthogen formates, thioureas, thionocarbamates, (di)thiophosphates, dithiophosphinates, N-alkoxycarbonyl dithiocarbamates, dialkyldithiocarbamates, mercaptobenzothioazoles, nitriles and combinations thereof.

20. The process of any one of claims 1-19 further comprising the step of:

(b2) adding a second depressant to the pulp provided in step (a); wherein step (b2) may be performed before, during and/or after step (b) and preferably the second depressant is NaHS.

21. A composition comprising the first depressant as described in any one of claims 1-8 and further comprising a sulfide mineral, preferably a sulfide mineral selected from the group consisting of Molybdenite, Chalcopyrite, Chalcocite, Covellite, Pyrite, Bornite, Sphalerite, and combinations thereof, preferably selected from the group consisting of Molybdenite and Chalcopyrite; with the provisio that the first depressant is not W-(2-Aminoethyl)carbamodithioic acid or a salt thereof or a compound of formula (I) wherein R¹ comprises no other functional groups than alcohols.

22. A composition comprising the first depressant as described in any one of claims 3, 5, 7 or 16 and further comprising one, two or three of:

• a collector as described in claim 19;

• a second depressant as described in claim 20; and

• a mineral; with the provisio that the first depressant is not a compound of formula (I) wherein R¹ comprises no other functional groups than alcohols.

23. The composition of claim 21 or 22 which is a mining additive composition comprising a second depressant as described in claim 12 in an amount of at least 5 wt.% (based on total weight of the additive composition excluding solvents), preferably at least 10 wt.% (based on total weight of the additive composition excluding solvents); wherein the first depressant is preferably present in an amount of at least 5 wt.% (based on total weight of the additive composition excluding solvents), preferably at least 20 wt.% (based on total weight of the additive composition excluding solvents).

24. The composition of claim 21 or 22 which is a mineral pulp comprising a sulfide mineral, preferably a sulfide mineral selected from the group consisting of Molybdenite, Chalcopyrite, Chalcocite, Covellite, Pyrite, Bornite, Sphalerite, and combinations thereof, in an amount of at least 0.01 wt.% (based on total weight of the mineral pulp), preferably at least 0.1 wt.% and optionally further comprising

• a collector as described herein in an amount of at least 10 ppm (w/w, based on total weight of mineral pulp); and/or • a second depressant as described herein in an amount of at least 10 ppm (based on total weight of the mineral pulp); wherein the first depressant is preferably present in an amount of at least 10 ppm (based on total weight of the mineral pulp).

25. Use of a dithiocarbamic acid or salt thereof of formula (I) as described in any one of claims 1-16 in the recovery, preferably the froth flotation recovery, of minerals with the provisio that the dithiocarbamic acid or salt thereof is not W-(2-Aminoethyl)carbamodithioic acid or a salt thereof or a compound of formula (I) wherein R¹ comprises no other functional groups than alcohols.

26. Use according to claim 25 in the froth flotation recovery of a sulfide mineral, preferably of Molybdenite.

27. Use according to claim 25 or 26 wherein the dithiocarbamic acid or salt thereof is the first depressant as described in any one of claims 3, 5, 7 or 16.

28. A dithiocarbamic acid or salt thereof which is

• compound 3 acid (2_;3-dihydroxypropylcarbamodithioic acid) as defined in the following table or a salt thereof,

• compound 7 acid (2-amino-2-methyl-l, 3, -propanediol carbamodithioicacid) as defined in the following table or a salt thereof, or

• compound 11 acid (phenyl(2-aminoethyl)carbamodithioic acid) as defined in the following table or a salt thereof:

29. Use of the dithiocarbamic acid or salt thereof of formula (I) of claim 28 in the recovery, preferably the froth flotation recovery, of minerals.