Chloromethylated poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) copolymers with 8 and 14% crosslinking was functionalized to a Schiff-base-bearing polymer by the sequential oxidation of the chloromethyl group to an aldehydic group and subsequent condensation with a base. The anchoring of the metal ion to the liganded polymer beads was carried out by its reaction with an ethanolic solution of palladium(II) chloride. The physicochemical properties of the supported catalyst, including surface area, bulk density, and the swelling of the polymer in polar and nonpolar solvents, were studied. The catalysts were characterized by various techniques, including elemental analysis, DTA-thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The surface morphology of the catalyst was studied by scanning electron microscopy. The catalytic hydrogenation of cis-cyclooctene was investigated with the immobilized catalysts. The effects of various reaction parameters, including catalyst concentration, temperature, and hydrogen pressure on the reduction of olefin, were studied. The rate of the reaction was determined from hydrogen uptake measurements. (C) 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.