Abstract: The effects of 6 dispersants on the amounts of Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe3+(Fe2+), Al3+, and SiO32－ ions extracted from 14 Chinese coals were studied by atomic adsorption spectrometry (AAS) and inductively coupled plasmatorch-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The results show that many dispersants accelerated the dissolution of Ca2+ ion from coals, but were not obvious to that of Mg2+ and Al3+ ions. The influence of different dispersants on dissolved Fe3+/Fe2+ ion depends on the kinds of mineral matters in coal. The amounts of dissolved high-valence cations from coals mainly depend on the interaction between dispersants and coals, as well as the kinds and amounts of mineral matters in coals. There is no certain relativity between the amounts of dissolved cation and corresponding metal oxide in coal ash. The slurryability or rheological behavior of coal water slurry (CWS) is not simply dependent on the amounts of high-valence cations. The effect of mineral matters in coals on CWS properties is an integrated result of many factors, and the kind and amount of dissolved inorganic ions are only some of the important factors.