Six porous copolymers of acrylonitrile (AN)/divinylbenzene (DVB) and methacrylonitrile (MAN)/DVB have been synthesised by suspension polymerization in the presence of inert diluents. They have different specific surface area (460-720 m(2)/g for AN/DVB and 560-730 m(2)/g for MAN/DVR) and contain various amounts of the strongly polar nitrile groups, Their sorptive properties have been studied using dilute (0.5 mmol) solutions of phenol and its derivatives (o-chlorophenol, o-, m- and p-nitrophenol, 2,3- and 2,6-dimethylphenol, p-hydroxyphenol), It has been found that sorption of the most hydrophobic compounds and compounds capable of forming strong intramolecular hydrogen bonds does not depend on the polarity of the: polymer surface. Sorption of phenol and m- and p-nitrophenol is stronger on sorbents having more polar groups. The influence of these groups on the sorption process is highly significant in the case of hydrophilic, water soluble sorbates such as p-hydroxyphenol. Polymeric sorbents were characterized using elemental analysis, inverse gas chromatography and their porous structure was characterized by nitrogen adsorption at 77 K. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.