Abstract: A method is disclosed for the separation of shale from run of mine (ROM) shale containing particles of shale and refuse, which comprises conditioning the ROM shale with a coupling agent capable of selectively coating the kerogen hydrocarbons in the particulate shale to the substantial exclusion of coating the non-hydrocarbonaceous refuse, which coupling agent is at least one carboxylic acid, preferably containing from about 5 to about 28 carbon atoms and a ketone. Combined with said coupling agent is a fluorescent dye in a quantity to make the coated particles of shale fluoresce upon excitation to a degree sufficient to distinguish the coated shale particles from the substantially non-coated refuse. Exciting (e.g. as with ultraviolet light) the fluorescent dye coupled to the shale particles induces fluorescence and enables separating the fluorescing, coated shale particles from substantially non-fluorescing, non-coated refuse particles.