Abstract: | The novel azacrown ether chitosan derivatives (CCAE‐I, CCAE‐II) were prepared by reaction between crosslinked chitosan with epoxy‐activated azacrown ethers. Their structures were confirmed by elemental FTIR spectra analysis and X‐ray diffraction analysis. The adsorption and selectivity properties of the crosslinked chitosan azacrown ethers for Pb2+, Cu2+, Cr3+, Cd2+, and Hg2+ were also investigated. The experimental results showed that they have high adsorption capacity for Cu2+, Cd2+, and Hg2+. The adsorption capacity of CCAE‐II is higher than CCAE‐I for Cd2+ and Hg2+. The selectivity properties of CCAE are better than chitosan and crosslinked chitosan. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 3053–3058, 1999 |