Chitosan is effective at removing platinum from dilute solutions, but sorption properties are significantly affected by the presence of competitor anions, such as chloride and, especially, sulfate anions. Sorption capacities in such complex solutions are enhanced by grafting thiourea through glutaraldehyde linkage. The influence of the amount of glutaraldehyde and thiourea in the impregnation bath was investigated and optimized with special attention to the composition of the solution and the type of acid used for pH control. This modification involves a change in the sorption mechanism: While glutaraldehyde-crosslinked chitosan adsorbs platinum through an ion-exchange mechanism, the thiourea derivative of chitosan acts as a chelating resin, less sensitive to ionic strength and competitor anions. Platinum sorption is also less sensitive to pH, and increasing the sulfate anion concentration has a limited effect on platinum sorption in comparison with the crosslinked sorbent. Thiourea grafting seems to increase sorption kinetics, especially in solutions controlled with sulfuric acid. SEM-EDAX techniques as well as FTIR analyses were used to characterize chemical modifications of the sorbent. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.