Speciation and separation of chromium (VI) and chromium (III) from aqueous solutions were investigated using amino-propyl functionalised mesoporous silica (AP-MCM-41) as an adsorbent. The as-synthesised adsorbent was produced following a simple synthesis method at room temperature prior to template removal using microwave digestion. The maximum adsorption capacity at 111.1 mg/g was calculated according to the Langmuir isotherm model, suggesting a 1:1 monolayer adsorption mechanism. Moreover, AP is a simple chelate, yet it can extract Cr (VI) exclusively from solutions containing other mixed metal ions simply by tuning the solution pH. Recovery of Cr (VI) from loaded sorbents is equally easy to perform with 100% extraction efficiencies allowing reuse of the sorbent and recovery of Cr (VI) from aqueous solutions containing a complex mixture of ions. The material would find use in environmental remediation applications, as a selective adsorbent of Cr (VI) or even as a solid-phase extraction stationary phase to remove and pre-concentrate Cr (VI) from aqueous solutions; this study demonstrates enrichment factors of 100 although higher levels are also possible. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.