The selective transport of copper(II), zinc(II), cobalt(II), and nickel(II) ions from nitrate solutions across polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs), which consist of cellulose triacetate as polymeric support, o-nitrophenyl pentyl ether as plasticizer, and 1-alkylimidazole (alkyl from hexyl-to decyl) as ion carrier was reported. PIM was characterized by using atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique. The results show that Cu(II) can be separated very effectively from other transition metal cations as Zn(II), Co(II), and Ni(II) (at a concentration of 10(-3) mol/dm(3) each). Alkyl substituents at position 1 of the imidazole ring have been found to affect the hydrophobic properties and initial flux of the transported metal ions. The efficiency of separation of metal ions by 1-alkylimidazole followed the sequence: Cu(II) > Zn(II) > Co(II) > Ni(II). The highest selectivity coefficient for Cu(II) was found with 1-hexylimidazole and its 1 mol/dm(3) solution in PIM. Separation of the ions was more effective for the nitrates(V) than for chlorides.