Bagasse raw material and bleached bagasse pulp were used to prepare carbamoyl ethyl and cyanoethyl cellulose which were converted to ion exchangers. The effect of crosslinking on the properties of the carbamoyl ethyl and cyanoethyl cellulose was investigated. The molecular structure of the produced resin was also studied via infrared spectroscopy. New bands were seen at 2252 cm(-1) and a shoulder at 3140 cm(-1), which are due to the cyano group (in cyanoethylated cellulose) and amino group (in the carbamoyl ethyl cellulose). Also, another band was appeared at 1715 cm(-1), which is due to the carboxyl group, formed due to hydrolysis of cyanoethyl or carbamoyl ethyl cellulose. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) of the produced resin was studied. The existence of both cyano group and carbamoyl group increased the resistance of cellulose towards the thermal treatment. The efficiency of the produced resin towards metal ions uptake from solution mixture (Cu, Ni, and Cr) was also studied. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.