Preparation and adsorption selectivity for Hg(II) and Ag(I) of chelating resin immobilizing benzothiazolyl group on crosslinked polystyrene via hydrophilic sulfur‐containing PEG spacer

A new chelating resin incorporating 2‐mercaptobenzothiazole (MBZ) into macroporous chloromethylated polystyrene via hydrophilic spacer of polyethylene glycol containing sulfur was synthesized. The resin was characterized by elementary analysis and infrared spectra. The adsorption capacity of the resin for Ag⁺, Hg²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, and Pb²⁺ as a function of pH was determined. The effects of interference ions, such as Na⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Ba²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, and Pb²⁺, on percent recovery were also investigated. The results showed that the resin could effectively remove Hg²⁺ and Ag⁺ from solutions containing a large excess of Na⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Ba²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, and Pb²⁺. In column operation, it was observed that Hg²⁺ and Ag⁺ in trace quantities were effectively removed from binary metal ions. The percent recovery of the resin for Hg²⁺ and Ag⁺ was >98.6% and >97.5%, respectively. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 5034–5038, 2006