The present study reported synthesis of a new inorganic exchanger, i.e., zirconium hydrogen monothiophosphate [Zr(HPO3S)(2), denoted ZrPS] and its selective sorption toward Pb(II), Cd(II) and Zn(II) ions. ZrPS sorption toward all the three metals is dependent upon solution pH due to the ion-exchange nature. As compared to another inorganic exchanger zirconium phosphate [Zr(HPO4)(2), denoted ZrP], ZrPS exhibits highly selective sorption toward these toxic metals from the background of calcium ions at great levels. Such sorption preference is mainly attributed to the presence of -SH group in ZrPS, as further demonstrated by FT-IR analysis and XPS study. Moreover, ZrPS particles preloaded with heavy metals could be efficiently regenerated with 6 M HCl for multiple use without any noticeable capacity loss. All the experimental results indicated that ZrPS is a promising sorbent for enhanced heavy metals removal from contaminated water. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.