Hexagonal mesoporous silicas chemically modified with ethylenediamine moieties were synthesized through the co-condensation of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) with two different silylating agents: (i) N-[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ethylenediamine and (ii) the new agent prepared from the incorporation of the ethylenediamine molecule into the epoxide group of the precursor 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane. From these silylating agents under neutral n-octylamine template methodology, the respective MNN and MGNN inorganic-organic hybrids were synthesized. Elemental analysis showed that the number of pendant groups in these hybrids were 1.69 and 1.62 mmol g(-1), with pore diameters and surface areas of 1.81 and 1.53 nm and 663 +/- 14 and 614 +/- 16 m(2) g(-1). Infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance for C-13 and Si-29 nuclei and X-ray diffraction patterns are in agreement with the success of the proposed synthetic methods, as confirmed for the formation of the mesoporous hybrids. Both mesoporous materials have been used for divalent copper adsorption from aqueous solution at 298 I K. The series of adsorption isotherms were adjusted to a modified Langmuir equation. The maximum number of moles adsorbed gave 1.4 +/- 0.1 and 1.4 +/- 0.2 mmol g(-1) for MNN and MGNN, respectively. The same interactions were calorimetrically followed and gave exothermic enthalpy, negative Gibbs free energy and positive entropy values. These favorable thermodynamic data indicate cation/nitrogen basic center interactions on the new mesoporous materials at the liquid/solid interface for both systems. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.59015162