Selective separation and concentration of Pd(II) from Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), and Cu(II) ions using thiourea‐formaldehyde resin

Thiourea‐formaldehyde (TUF), a well‐known chelating resin, has been synthesized and it was used in the adsorption, selective separation, and concentration of Pd(II) ions from Fe(III), Co(II) Ni(II), and Cu(II) base metal ions. The composition of the synthesized resin was determined by elemental analysis. The effect of initial acidity/pH and the adsorption capacity for Pd(II) ions were studied by batch technique. The adsorption and separation of Pd(II) were then examined by column technique. FTIR spectra and SEM/EDS analysis were also recorded before and after the adsorption of Pd(II). The optimum pH was found to be 4 for the adsorption. The adsorption data fitted well to the Langmuir isotherm. The maximum adsorption capacity of the TUF resin for Pd(II) ions was found to be 31.85 mg g⁻¹ (0.300 mmol g⁻¹). Chelating mechanism was effective in the adsorption. Pd(II) ions could be separated efficiently from Fe(III), Cu(II), Ni(II), and Co(II) ions using TUF resin. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Synthesis,characterization, and catalytic activity of 4 mol % N,N′‐methylene bisacrylamide crosslinked poly(acrylic acid)–metal complexes

The metal‐ion complexation behavior and catalytic activity of 4 mol % N,N′‐methylene bisacrylamide crosslinked poly(acrylic acid) were investigated. The polymeric ligand was prepared by solution polymerization. The metal‐ion complexation was studied with Cr(III), Mn(II), Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II) ions. The metal uptake followed the order: Cu(II) > Cr(III) > Mn(II) > Co(II) > Fe(III) > Zn(II) > Ni(II). The polymeric ligand and the metal complexes were characterized by various spectral methods. The catalytic activity of the metal complexes were investigated toward the hydrolysis of p‐nitrophenyl acetate (NPA). The Co(II) complexes exhibited high catalytic activity. The kinetics of catalysis was first order. The hydrolysis was controlled by pH, time, amount of catalyst, and temperature. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 272–279, 2004     

Effect of the nature and degree of crosslinking on the catalase‐like activity of polystyrene‐supported schiff base‐metal complexes

Catalase‐like activity of the metal complexes of various crosslinked polystyrene‐supported Schiff bases were carried out and correlated with the nature and degree of crosslinking in the polymer support. Polystyrenes with 2–20 mol % ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), 1,4‐butanediol dimethacrylate (BDDMA) and 1,6‐hexanediol diacrylate (HDODA) were used as polymer supports. functions of diethylenetriamine and salicylaldehyde were incorporated to the chloromethylpolystyrene by polymer analogous reactions and complexed with Fe(II), Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), and Cu(II) ions. The metal uptake decreased in the order: Cu(II) > Co(II) > Ni(II) > Fe(III) > Fe(II), and extent of metal uptake by the various crosslinked system varied with the nature and degree of the crosslinking agent. The polymeric ligands and the metal complexes were characterized by various analytical techniques. The catalytic activities of these metal complexes were investigated towards the decomposition reaction of hydrogen peroxide. Generally among the various metal complexes, the catalytic activities decreased in the order: Co(II) > Cu(II) > Ni(II) > Fe(III) ? Fe(II). With increasing rigidity of the crosslinking agent their catalytic activity also decreased. Of the various crosslinked systems, the catalytic activity decreased in the order: HDODA‐ > BDDMA‐ > EGDMA‐crosslinked system. Also, the catalytic activity is higher for low crosslinked systems and decreased further with increasing degree of crosslinking. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 1271–1278, 2004     

对-亚苯基双苯并咪唑过渡金属配合物的合成和荧光性质研究

合成了2,2’-对亚苯基双苯并咪唑的铜、钴、镍配合物,采用元素分析、红外光谱、紫外光谱和摩尔电导率等进行表征,研究了固体荧光性质,发现Ni（II）配合物的荧光发射峰红移了101nm,荧光寿命增加到配体的12倍。     

Analytical applications of newly synthesized copolymer resin derived from p‐aminophenol,dithiooxamide, and formaldehyde

A copolymer resin (p‐APDF) has been synthesized using the monomers p‐aminophenol, dithiooxamide, formaldehyde in 1 : 1 : 2M proportions in the presence of 2M HCl as catalyst. The structure of p‐APDF copolymer has been elucidated on the basis of elemental analysis and various physicochemical techniques, i.e., UV‐visible, FTIR, and ¹H‐NMR spectroscopy. The number average molecular weight of copolymer resin was determined by nonaqueous conductometric titration in DMF. Viscosity measurement were carried out in DMF indicate normal behavior. The prepared resin proved to be a selective ion exchange resin for some metal ions. The chelating ion exchange properties of this resin was studied for Fe(III) and Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), Pb(II) ions. A batch equilibrium method was used to study selectivity of metal ion uptake over a wide pH range and in media of various ionic strength. The resin showed a higher selectivity for Fe(III), Ni(II), Cu(II) ions than for Co(II), Pb(II), Zn(II), and Cd(II) ions. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Synthesis,characterization and antimicrobial activity of transition metal chelated thiourea‐formaldehyde resin

A polymeric ligand (thiourea‐formaldehyde resin ‐ TUFR) bearing nitrogen and sulfur donor groups was synthesized by the polycondensation of thiourea and formaldehyde in acidic medium and its polychelates were prepared in alcoholic solution of metal ions such as Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II). The TUFR polymeric ligand and its TUFR‐M(II) polychelates were characterized with micro‐analytical analysis and spectral studies. The FTIR spectra of polychelates indicated that the metal ions were coordinated through the sulfur of the thionyl (C?S) groups and formed a covalent bond with the nitrogen of the NH groups. Electronic spectra, electronic spin resonance (ESR) spectra and magnetic moments revealed that the polychelates of Mn(II), Co(II) and Ni(II) were octahedral; however, Cu(II) and Zn(II) polychelates were square‐planar and tetrahedral, respectively. The thermogravimetric analysis data indicated that the polychelates were more stable than the corresponding ligand. The antimicrobial activities of all the compounds against several bacteria and fungi were also investigated by using the agar well diffusion method. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

New polymeric Schiff base and its metal complexes

A novel polymeric Schiff base was synthesized by the reaction of a Schiff base from 2,4‐dihydroxy benzaldehyde and aniline with acryloyl chloride and was polymerized in methyl ethyl ketone at 70°C with benzoyl peroxide as a free‐radical initiator. Polychelates were obtained in an alkaline solution of poly(2‐hydroxy‐4‐acryloyloxy‐N‐phenylbenzylidine) with aqueous solutions of metal ions such as Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II), Ca(II), Cd(II), Mn(II), and Zn(II). The polymeric Schiff base and polychelates were characterized with elemental analysis and spectral studies. The elemental analysis of the polychelates suggested that the metal‐to‐ligand ratio was 1:2. The IR spectral data of the polychelates indicated that the metals were coordinated through the nitrogen and oxygen of the phenolic ? OH group. Diffuse reflectance spectra, electron paramagnetic resonance, and magnetic moment studies revealed that the polychelates of the Cu(II) complex were square‐planar, those of the Ni(II), Mn(II), and Co(II) complexes were octahedral, and those of the Ca(II), Cd(II), and Zn(II) complexes were tetrahedral. X‐ray diffraction studies revealed that the polychelates were highly crystalline. The thermal properties of the Schiff base and polychelates were also examined. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 494–500, 2004     

Solid Phase Extraction and Preconcentration of Trace Heavy Metal Ions in Natural Water with 2,2′‐Dithiobisaniline Modified Amberlite XAD‐2

Abstract

A solid phase extraction and preconcentration methodology utilizing a new chelating resin is described for the separation of Cd, Ni, Co, Cu, and Zn. The chelating resin matrix was prepared by covalently linking 2,2′‐dithiobisaniline synthesized from 2‐aminothiophenol with the benzene ring of polystyrene‐divinylbenzene resin Amberlite XAD‐2 through a –N?N– group. Its adsorption and preconcentration behavior for Cd, Ni, Co, Cu, and Zn in aqueous solution was studied using batch and column procedures in detail. The newly designed resin quantitatively adsorbs Cd, Ni, Co, Cu, and Zn above pH 5.0. Subsequent elution with 2 M HCl readily strips the sorbed metal ions from the resin. The sorption capacity is 360, 230, 170, 200, and 150 mol g^?1 for Cd, Ni, Co, Cu, and Zn, respectively. Their preconcentration factors are 80–200. The time for 80% sorption was less than 10 min for all five metal ions. The effects of electrolytes on the preconcentration were also investigated with the recoveries >95%. The procedure was validated by analysis of a standard reference river sediment material (GBW 08301 China). The developed method was successively utilized for the determination of Cd, Ni, Co, Cu, and Zn in tap water and river water by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) after column SPE and preconcentration. The 3σ detection limits for these metal ions were found to be 0.10, 0.34, 0.42, 0.16, and 0.52 g L^?1, respectively. The relative standard deviation was <10% for the determination of 10 g each of Cd, Ni, Co, Cu, and Zn in a 100 mL water sample.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel ion-exchange resin based on polyimide containing 8-hydroxyquinoline as a pendent groups

Novel ion-exchange resin (PBMDDMCMHQ polyimide) having 8-hydroxyuinoline as a pendent groups was prepared using phenylenebismaleimide-diamine polyimide (PBMDDM) and 5-chloromethyl-8-hydroxyquinoline hydrochloride (CMHQ). Phenylenebismaleimide-diamine polyimide (PBMDDM) was prepared by Michael addition reaction of 1,3-phenylenebismaleimide (PBM) and 4,4’-diaminodiphenyl methane (DDM). The resulting ion-exchange resin was characterized by spectral techniques. Polymeric metal chelates of ion-exchange resin were also prepared using transition metal ions Zn(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II) and Mn(II), and were duly characterized. Ion-exchange properties of ion-exchange resin (PBMDDMCMHQ) for Fe(III), Zn(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) metal ions were also studied by batch-equilibration method. The produced ion-exchange resin (PBMDDMCMHQ) has thermal stability up to 220°C and can be used over a wide pH range. It has good metal up take capacity at varying pH range and can be recycled.     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(ethylene aspartate)-metal complexes

Poly(ethylene aspartate) [PEA] was synthesized by the melt condensation of D,L-aspartic acid and ethylene glycol. PEA containing pendent amino and carbonyl groups in its repeating chain was used as the polymeric ligand for complexation with transition metal ions, viz. Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Mn(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), Ca(II), Mg(II), Pb(II) and Hg(II). Complexation was found to be most effective in DMSO. The resulting polyester-metal complexes were solid coloured materials which have been characterized by IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The thermal stability of the polyester-metal complexes was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). On the basis of the physico-chemical studies, an oxygen and nitrogen coordinated structure for the polyester-metal complexes is proposed.     

Heavy metals adsorption on some iminodiacetate chelating resins as a function of the adsorption parameters

The adsorption properties of some novel chelating resins (CRs) bearing iminodiacetate groups for removal of heavy metal ions like: Cu(II), Co(II) and Ni(II) from aqueous solutions comparative with the commercial resin Amberlite IRC-748 have been studied in this work by a batch equilibrium technique. Quantitative analysis for adsorption was conducted using UV–vis spectroscopy to investigate the kinetics, adsorption isotherm and thermodynamics of the removal process considering equilibration time, pH, metal ion concentration and temperature as controlling parameters. The metal adsorption capacities, at pH 5, were in the order Cu(II) > Ni(II) > Co(II), for both the CR with 10 wt.% DVB (CR-10) and the commercial resin Amberlite IRC-748. The adsorption capacities on CR-10 were higher for Ni(II) and Co(II) ions, but lower for Cu(II) ions compared with Amberlite IRC-748. Both Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms well fitted on the adsorption results of Cu(II), Ni(II) and Co(II) ions on all iminodiacetate resins.     

Synthesis and separation properties for Cu(II)‐Ni(II) of macroporous crosslinked polystyrene‐supported triethylenetetramine resin using Cu(II) as template

A new method for preparing a novel macroporous chelating resin that has good adsorption capability for Cu(II) and high selectivity for it with the coexistence of Ni(II) was introduced in this article. First, the aminated resin (PS‐TETA) was synthesized by the reaction of crosslinked macroporous chloromethylated polystyrene with triethylenetetramine. Subsequently, PS‐TETA was coordinated with Cu(II) and then PS‐TETA‐Cu was obtained. After the crosslinking reaction of PS‐TETA‐Cu with epoxy chloropropane, the adsorbed Cu(II) was removed by chlorhydric acid, and then the target resin‐Cu(II) template triethylenetetramine crosslinked polystyrene resin was obtained. The selectively sorption tests for Cu(II) showed that the sorption capacity was as high as 1.6 mmol/g and the selectivity coefficient α_{Cu(II)/Ni(II)} could reach to 9.06 with the coexistence of Ni(II). SEM and nitrogen adsorption at 77 K methods were used to characterize the porous structure of the resin. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 963–967, 2007     

Preparation,characterization, and metal ion retention capacity of Co(II) and Ni(II) from poly(p‐HO‐ and p‐Cl‐phenylmaleimide‐co‐2‐hydroxypropylmethacrylate) using the ultra filtration technique

p‐Chlorophenylmaleimide and p‐hydroxyphenylmaleimide with 2‐hydroxypropyl methacrylate were synthesized by radical polymerization, and the metal ion retention capacity and thermal behavior of the copolymers were evaluated. The copolymers were obtained by solution radical polymerization with a 0.50 : 0.50 feed monomer ratio. The maximum retention capacity (MRC) for the removal of two metal ions, Co(II) and Ni(II) in aqueous phase were determined using the liquid‐phase polymer based retention technique. Inorganic ion interactions with the hydrophilic polymer were determined as a function of pH. The metal ion retention capacity does not depend strongly on the pH. Metal ion retention increased with an increase of pH for a copolymer composition 0.50 : 0.50. At different pH, the MRC of the poly(p‐chlorophenylmaleimide‐co‐2‐hydroxypropylmethacrylate) for Co(II) and Ni(II) ions varied from 44.1 to 48.6 mg/g and from 41.5 mg/g to 46.0 mg/g, respectively; while the MRC of poly(p‐hydroxyphenylmaleimide‐co‐2‐hydroxypropyl methacrylate) for Co(II) and Ni(II) ions varied from 28.4 to 35.6 mg/g and from 27.2 to 30.8 mg/g, respectively. The copolymers and copolymer–metal complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, FT‐IR, ¹H NMR spectroscopy, and thermal behavior. The thermal behavior of the copolymer and polymer–metal complexes were studied using differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry techniques under nitrogen atmosphere. The thermal decomposition temperature and T_g were influenced by the binding‐metal ion on the copolymer. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Studies of poly(8‐hydroxy‐4‐azoquinolinephenol‐formaldehyde) and its metal complexes

Poly(8‐hydroxy‐4‐azoquinolinephenol‐formaldehyde) resin (8H4AQPF) was prepared by condensing 8‐hydroxy 4‐azoquinoline phenol with formaldehyde (1 : 1 mol ratio) in the presence of oxalic acid. Polychelates were obtained when the DMF solution of poly(8H4AQPF) containing a few drops of ammonia was treated with the aqueous solution of Cu(II) and Ni(II) ions. The polymeric resin and polymer–metal complexes were characterized with elemental analysis and spectral studies. The elemental analysis of the polymer–metal complexes suggested that the metal‐to‐ligand ratio was 1 : 2. The IR spectral data of the polychelates indicated that the metals were coordinated through the nitrogen and oxygen of the phenolic ? OH group. Diffuse reflectance spectra, electron paramagnetic resonance, and magnetic moment studies revealed that the polymer–metal complexes of the Cu(II) complexes were square planar and those of the Ni(II) complexes were octahedral. X‐ray diffraction studies revealed that the polymer metal complexes were crystalline. The thermal properties of the polymer and polymer–metal complexes were also examined. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 1506–1510, 2006     

Synthesis of poly(acrylamide‐co‐4‐vinylpyridine) hydrogels and their application in heavy metal removal

A series of poly(acrylamide‐co‐4‐vinylpyridine) hydrogels having varied acrylamide/4‐vinylpyridine content and different crosslink ratios of N,N′‐methylene‐bisacrylamide was prepared by using solution polymerization. The prepared hydrogel polymers were characterized by their elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, and equilibrium water content. The polymers were investigated toward metal ion uptake of Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II). The polymers were more sensitive to Cu(II) and Ni(II) and the order of metal ion binding was Ni(II), Cu(II) > Zn(II) > Co(II) > Mn(II). Metal ion uptake by the polymers was reduced as the pH of the medium decreased. Recycling of the resins resulted in high recovery of the metal ions from their aqueous solutions. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 2522–2526, 2003     

Synthesis,Characterization, and Applications of a New Chelating Resin Containing 4-2-(Thiazolylazo) Resorcinol (TAR)

A new phenol–formaldehyde based chelating resin containing 4-(2-thiazolylazo) resorcinol (TAR) functional groups has been synthesized and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Its adsorption behavior for Cu(II), Pb(II), Ni(II), Co(II), Cd(II), and Mn(II) has been investigated by batch and column experiments. The chelating resin is highly selective for Cu(II) in the pH range 2 ～ 3, whereas alkali metal and alkaline earth metal ions such as Na(I), Mg(II), and Ca(II) are not adsorbed even at pH 6. Quantitative recovery of most metal ions studied in this work except Co(II) is achieved by elution with 2M HNO₃ at a flow rate of 0.2 mL min^?1. A similar trend is observed for distribution coefficient values. The quantitative separations achieved on a mini-column of chelating resin include Cd(II) – Cu(II), Mn(II) – Pb(II), Co(II) – Cu(II), Mn(II) – Ni(II), and Mn(II) – Co(II) – Cu(II). The recovery of copper(II) is quantitative (98.0–99.0%) from test solutions (10–50 mg/L) by 1 mol/L HNO₃-0.01 mol/L EDTA. The chelating resin is stable in acidic solutions below 2.5 M HNO₃ or HCl as well as in alkaline solution below pH 11. The adsorption behavior of the resin towards Cu(II) was found to follow Langmuir isotherm and second order rate.     

Metal-5-Fluorouracil-histamine complexes: solution, structural, and antitumour studies

Solution studies were performed pH-metrically to study the interaction of Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) and Cd(II) metal ions with 5-fluorouracil (5FU) and histamine (Hm) separately (binary) and in the presence of each other (ternary) at 25+/-0.1( degrees )C temperature and a constant ionic strength of 0.1 M NaNO(3) in aqueous solution. The ternary complexes have been found to be more stable than the corresponding binary complexes as shown by the positive value of DeltalogK. The species distribution curves have been obtained using the computer programme BEST. On the basis of species distribution results, efforts were also made to prepare some mixed complexes of Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) and Cd(II) ions by performing the reaction of their metal nitrates, 5FU and Hm in aqueous ethanol medium at suitable pH. The isolated solid complexes were characterized by different physico-chemical method in order to suggest the possible binding site of the ligands and the structure of the resultant complexes. All these complexes were checked for their antitumour activity by injecting in Dalton's lymphoma (DL) and Sarcoma-180 (S-180) bearing C(3)H/He mice. The results indicate that some complexes have good antitumour activity both in vivo and in vitro.     

Resin I: Synthesis,characterization, and ion‐exchange properties of terpolymer resins derived from 2,4‐dihydroxypropiophenone,biuret, and formaldehyde

Terpolymers (2,4‐DHPBF) were synthesized by the condensation of 2,4‐dihydro‐xypropiophenone, biuret, and formaldehyde in the presence of acid catalyst with varying the molar ratio of reacting monomers. Terpolymer composition has been determined on the basis of their elemental analysis and their number–average molecular weight of these resin were determined by conductometric titration in nonaqueous medium. The viscosity measurements were carried out in N,N‐dimethyl formamide which indicate normal behavior. IR spectra were studied to elucidate the structure. The terpolymer resin has been further characterized by UV–visible and ¹H‐NMR spectra. The newly synthesized terpolymers proved to be selective chelating ion‐exchange terpolymers for certain metals. The chelating ion‐exchange properties of this terpolymer was studied for Fe (III), Cu (II), Hg (II), Cd (II), Co (II), Zn (II), Ni (II), and Pb (II) ions. A batch equilibrium method was employed in the study of the selectivity of metal ion uptake involving the measurement of the distribution of a given metal ion between the terpolymer sample and a solution containing the metal ion. The study was carried out over a wide pH range and in media of various ionic strengths. The terpolymer showed a higher selectivity for Fe (III), Hg (II), Cd (II), and Pb (II) ions than for Cu (II), Co (II), Zn (II), and Ni (II) ions. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Influence of the metal centers of 2,6‐bis(imino)pyridyl transition metal complexes on ethylene polymerization/ oligomerization catalytic activities

Much work on bis(imino)pyridyl complexes with Fe(II) and Co(II) as ethylene polymerization catalysts has been reported in terms of designing new analogous ligands, while little work has been dedicated to the study of the effect of the metal center on catalyst performance. A series of bis(imino)pyridyl‐MCl₂ (M = Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II)) transition metal complexes were synthesized, for which single crystals of the Co(II) and Cu(II) complexes were obtained. The crystal structures indicated that these complexes had similar coordination geometries. Being applied to ethylene polymerization at 25 °C and employing 500 equiv. of methylaluminoxane as co‐catalyst, the complexes with Fe(II), Co(II) and Ni(II) centers showed, respectively, catalytic activities of 1.25 × 10⁶ g (mol Fe)^?1 h^?1 Pa for ethylene polymerization, and 3.98 × 10⁵ g (mol Co)^?1 h^?1 Pa and 5.13 × 10³ g (mol Ni)^?1 h^?1 Pa for ethylene oligomerization. In contrast, the complexes with Cu(II) and Zn(II) centers were inactive. Crystal structure data showed that the coordination interactions provided a comparatively reliable quantification of the selectivity of the bis(imino)pyridyl ligand for the studied metal ions, which was in reasonable agreement with the Irving–Williams list. Moreover, for the Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes, the strong coordination bonds and small N(imino)? M? N(imino) angles were unfavorable for several steps in the mechanism, such as ethylene coordination to the metal center, ethylene migratory insertion and olefin chain growth. All of these will reduce the speed of the overall reaction, indicating a decrease of catalytic efficiency in a given period. The poor activity of the Zn(II) complex for ethylene polymerization may be related to the reduction process by the alkylating agent. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Polystyrene anchored vanillin Schiff base—Complexation and ion removal studies

A set of six new polystyrene anchored metal complexes have been synthesized by the reaction of the metal salt with the polystyrene anchored Schiff base of vanillin. These complexes were characterized by elemental analyses, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance studies, thermal studies, and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The elemental analyses suggest a metal : ligand ratio of 1 : 2. The ligand is unidentate and coordinates through the azomethine nitrogen. The Mn(II), Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), and Cu(II) complexes are all paramagnetic while Zn(II) is diamagnetic. The Cu(II) complex is assigned a square planar structure, while Zn(II) is assigned a tetrahedral structure and Mn(II), Fe(III), Co(II), and Ni(II) are all assigned octahedral geometry. The thermal analyses were done on the ligand and its complexes to reveal their stability. Further, the application of the Schiff base as a chelating resin in ion removal studies was investigated. The polystyrene anchored Schiff base gave 96% efficiency in the removal of Ni(II) from a 20‐ppm solution in 15 min, without any interference from ions such as Mn(II), Co(II), Fe(III), Cu(II), Zn(II), U(VI), Na⁺, K⁺, NH₄⁺, Ca²⁺, Cl^?, Br^?, NO₃^?, NO₂^?,and CH₃CO₂^?. The major advantage is that the removal is achieved without altering the pH. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 98: 1536–1539, 2005