The synthesis of porous rigid resins which are chemically stable to organic solvents over a wide pH range and which have a desired porosity and surface area has substantial commercial importance. Two types of porous phenolic- and melamine-formaldehyde polymers were synthesized using colloidal silica as a porous matrix. The porosity of the materials obtained was characterized on the basis of adsorption/desorption isotherms of nitrogen at -195degreesC. For each sample the specific surface area, pore size distribution, and total pore volume were estimated. The porous polymers used in the experiments exhibit various pore size distributions and relatively high specific surface areas. The obtained porous polymers were tested as column packings in gas chromatography. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.