Abstract: | Macroreticular copolymer beads were prepared by suspension polymerization of 4-vinylbenzyl chloride (VBC), divinylbenzene (DVB) and monomers with carboxylic ester groups like dibutyl maleate (DBM), dibutyl fumarate (DBF) and dibutyl itaconate (DBI) in the presence of toluene as diluent. The copolymer beads were phosphorylated at the chloromethylated phenyl rings with triethyl phosphite and hydrolyzed by an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution; the hydrolysis on the bead surface converted carboxylic ester/phosphonate groups into carboxylic acid/phosphono groups, respectively. The investigations on the metal ion chelation characteristics of the H-form copolymer beads revealed that they have good adsorptivity toward heavy metal ions like Pb2+, Cd2+ and Cu2+, and poor adsorptivity toward ions like Hg2+ and UO22+. The adsorptivity caused by the three carboxylic ester monomer derivatives was in the order DBM > DBI > DBF. Especially, the Na-form copolymer beads neutralized by alkali treatment were very available for the adsorption of all the metal ions under investigation. |