A linear copolymer consisting of maleic anhydride and methylvinylether has been immobilized on the interior surface of porous polymer beads. The modified polymer beads thus obtained have formed the starting material for the preparation of metal selective chelating resins by the reaction of the maleic anhydride moiety with appropriate ligands. Cysteamine has been grafted as the pendant ligand and the resulting chelating resin (cysteamine resin) maintains a high porosity and large specific surface area. On the basis of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron dispersion X-ray (EDX) analyses, the linear polymer is distributed from the outer layer to the inner pores of the resin beads. The adsorption characteristics of the cysteamine resin for Cd2+ and Pb2+ have been examined with respect to the percentage extraction, adsorption isotherm and reproducibility upon adsorption-regeneration cycles. The chelating resin shows a remarkably high adsorption rate, which has been attributed to the porous nature of the resin and geometrical flexibility of the ligand. Quantitative removal of Cd2+ and Pb2+ from aqueous solution has been demonstrated by the column procedure packed with the cysteamine resin. © Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.