Carbon inverse opals (C-lop) were noncovalently modified with tetraphenylmethylenediphospine dioxide (TPMDPDO). The distribution of TPMDPDO between C-IOP and aqueous HNO3 solutions has been studied. The effect of HNO3 concentration in the aqueous phase and that of the TPMDPDO concentration in the sorbent phase on the adsorption of microquantities of Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, U, and Th nitrates from HNO3 solutions by C-IOP modified with TPMDPDO is considered. The stoichiometry of the sorbed complexes has been determined by the slope analysis method. The efficiency of lanthanide(III) adsorption from moderate-concentration HNO3 solutions decreases with increasing element atomic number. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.