Trace organic and inorganic contaminants possessing strong ligand characteristics are widely found in aquatic systems. Sorption processes such as activated carbon (AC) adsorption and ion exchange (IX) have been frequently employed to achieve the required degree of removal. However, AC-based processes are not effective in removing ionic species such as various pesticides carrying carboxylic and/or phenolic groups, and conventional IX resins are not selective for contaminants such as phosphate or arsenate in the presence of various omnipresent anions such as sulfate. Polymeric ligand exchangers (PLE) are a class of promising sorbents that sorb chemicals based primarily on their ligand characteristics rather than ionic charges. Consequently, selective removal of trace contaminants that are strong ligands can be achieved using PLEs. This paper reports the preparation and characterization of an innovative PLE for selective removal of trace organic and inorganic contaminants in the presence of various competing ions. It was observed that chelating resins with nitrogen donor atoms can serve as excellent metal hosting polymers and pyridine-nitrogen atoms in the polymer phase binds with metal ions more effectively than amine-nitrogen atoms. The nitrogen donor atoms in the chelating polymers interact with various metal ions in accord with the Irving-Williams series, with the highest affinity being observed for Cu3+. A novel PLE, designated as DOW 3N-Cu was prepared by immobilizing Cu2+ ions onto a chelating polymer with high content of pyridine-N donor atoms. Equilibrium and column run results indicated that the PLE is highly selective for trace inorganic contaminants such as phosphate, arsenate and ionizable organic contaminants such as 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP). For neutral organic molecules such as atrazine, the PLE was not as effective as hydrophobic sorbents such as XAD-4. The DOW 3N-Cu's sorption rates for inorganic ligands are quite comparable to standard macroporous IX resins. The sorption rate for TCP by both DOW 3N-Cu and IRA-900 (a commercial resin) was rather slow, and lengthy gradual breakthrough profiles of TCP were observed. While brine can efficiently regenerate phosphate-or arsenate-exhausted DOW 3N Cu, a mixture of brine and methanol at 70 degreesC was needed to desorb TCP from DOW 3N-Cu. The ligand exchange (LE) process may provide a cost effective alternative to help water utilities comply with increasingly stringent regulations. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.