Two chelating resins (CRs) bearing iminodiacetate (IDA) groups derived from acrylonitrile - divinylbenzene (AN-DVB) copolymers having 10 and 15 wt.% nominal cross-linking degrees and a high mobility of the functional groups caused by the presence of a longer spacer between the matrix and the IDA groups were synthesized and tested as sorbents for heavy metal ions like: Pb(II), Cd(II) and Zn(II) from aqueous solutions by batch and column techniques. Experimental data obtained from batch equilibrium tests have been analyzed by two isotherm models: Freundlich and Langmuir. The overall adsorption tendency of CRs toward Pb(II), Cd(II) and Zn(II), under non-competitive conditions, followed the order: Cd(II)>Pb(II)>Zn(II). Selectivity studies were performed in ternary mixture of Pb(II), Cr(II) and Zn(II) to check if the synthesized CRs can be useful for selective separation of heavy metal cations. The results revealed that the CRs with IDA groups exhibited high selectivity toward Pb(II), both in batch and column techniques. Regeneration of the resins was achieved using 0.1 M HCl solution. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.