Sorption of metal ions from aqueous solution onto metal-ligand complexes of sporopollenin derivatives has been measured as a function of pH at several temperatures between 20 and 50 degrees C, Novel metal-ligand exchange resins possessing oxime and carboxylic acid sidearm functionality were prepared through the reaction of diaminosporopollenin with dichloro-antiglyoxime and bromoacetic acid, The pH dependencies and sorption isotherms of various metal ions such as Zn(II), Cd(II), and AI(III) on the resin were investigated from aqueous solution, The sorption behavior of these metal-ligand complexes of sporopollenin derivatives and the possibilities of selectively removing and recovering heavy metals are explained on the basis of their chemical nature and complex properties and the results are interpreted in terms of the variations of pH.