The presence of two functional groups, nitrile and carboxyl, in carboxylated nitrile rubber allows it to be crosslinked with different agents. In this study, we examined the influence of different crosslinking agents on the properties of unfilled carboxylated nitrile rubber. Significant differences were found when different crosslinking agents were used, as shown in the vulcanization curves, especially in the variation of the viscous component with the reaction time. The reaction rate was highest when organic peroxide was used, and it was lowest when metallic peroxide or copper sulfate was used. When the crosslinking agents led to the formation of ionic bonds (metallic oxide and metallic peroxide), the carboxylic groups - COOH had a greater participation in the crosslinking. However, when copper sulfate was used, coordination bonds were formed, and the main contribution was due to the nitrile groups. Tensile strength, tear strength, and abrasion properties were superior when the crosslinking systems used led to the formation of ionic bonds. On the contrary, the compression set was optimum when covalent bonds were formed. Copper sulfate behaved as an intermediate between the two previous situations. The mechanodynamic response of the compounds also depended on the crosslinking agent used. The correlation between crosslink density by swelling in dichloromethane, maximum damping temperature by dynamic measurements, and glass-transition temperature by differential scanning calorimetry had to be explained in terms of the crosslink type. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.