Strong-field ligands (amino moieties) are introduced into a hydrogel resin to obtain a chelating resin via inversion suspension polymerization. The characteristics of chelating copolymers are measured by using Fourier transform IR spectroscopy (FTIR), elemental analysis (EA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). After chelating copolymers adsorb cupric ions, the absorption peak of stretch N-H is shifted to higher frequency because of a coordination reaction from the FTIR spectra. Furthermore, the mechanism of metal complex adsorption on the chelating copolymer is that the strong-field chelating ligand decomposes the bonding of the metal complexes and recoordinates the cupric ion to a chelating polymer, which is examined via FTIR, SEM with EA, and ionic chromatography analysis. The maximum adsorption capacity of cupric ions is 1.08 mmol/g and the adsorption capacity increases with the increase of the pH of the solution. The stability constant of the Cu chelating copolymer is 10(18.72), and it can have competition adsorption with EDTA in aqueous solution. These amino chelating copolymers can be used not only to recover metal ions but also to move anion pollution in wastewater. It is interesting that parts of the cupric ions adsorbed on the chelating copolymer are reduced into cupreous ions and/or copper atoms after electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis measurement. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.