Chelating resins have some good adsorption properties for some metal ions, especially for several noble metal ions. Thus to retrieve rare metals using chelating resins is always an interesting project for chemistry researchers. In this study we synthesized a series of chelating resins based on chitosan and investigated adsorbing capacities, adsorption rates, and adsorption selectivities for Ag(I), Au(III), Pd(II), Pt(IV), Cu(II), Hg(II), and Zn(II). The results indicate that the resins have remarkable adsorbing capacities and adsorption rates for four noble metal ions and Hg(II). For instance, one of the resins adsorbs Au(III) and the adsorbing capacity is up to 7.11 mmol/g. However, the adsorbing capacities of the resins for Cu(II) and Zn(II) are much less than for the noble metal ions. Finally, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies of a chelating resin and its metal chelates were made. The result reveals that the basis of the chelations is a chemical process.