Crosslinked acrylamide (AM) and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS) homopolymers and copolymers were prepared by free radical solution polymerization using N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide as the crosslinker. The chemical structures of hydrogels were characterized by FTIR analysis and the results were consistent with the expected structures. These hydrogels were used for the separation of Cd(II), Cu(II), and Fe(III) ions from their aqueous solutions. The influence of the uptake conditions such as pH, time and initial feed concentration on the metal ion binding capacity of hydro-gel was also tested. The selectivity of the hydrogel towards the different metal ions tested was Cd(II) > Cu(II) > Fe(III). It was observed that the specific interaction between metal ions and ionic comonomers in the hydrogel affected the metal binding capacity of the hydrogel. The recovery of metal ions was also investigated in acid media. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 123: 2500-2510, 2012