CLAIMS:
1. A polymer derived from:
reaction of glycidyl (mcth)acrylatc, allyl glycidyl ether or [(vinyloxy)methyl]oxiranc with ammonia or primary amine to obtain a mixture of monomer compounds;
reaction of the mixture of monomer compounds with at least one of acrylic acid, vinyl alcohol, vinyl acetate, acrylamidc, mcthylacrylic acid, and mcthylacrylamidc to obtain an intermediate polymer; and
reaction of the intermediate polymer with a dithtocarbamic acid salt.
2. The polymer of claim 1, wherein the primary amine is iso-propanolamine, propanolaminc, or monocihanol amine.
3. The polymer of claim 1, wherein the mixture of monomer compounds comprises at least one of compounds I, 3 and 5,and at least one of compounds 2, 4, and 6

4. The polymer of claim 1, wherein the dithiocarbamic acid salt is derived from reaction of sodium hydroxide with carbon disulfide.
5. A method comprising:
adding an effective amount of a polymer of claim 1 to an aqueous solution comprising at least one clement selected from the group consisting of aluminium, arsenic, beryllium, bismuth, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper; iron, mercury, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, lead, plutonium, tin, thorium, thallium, uranium, vanadium, tungsten, zirconium, zinc, selenium and combinations thereof to form a precipitate comprising the at least one clement; and
removing the precipitate from the aqueous solution.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the polymer comprises structural unit of
formula A, structural unit of formula B, and, structural unit of formula C or structural
unit of formula D
7. The method of claim 5, wherein the polymer comprises structural unit of formula E, structural unit of formula F, and, structural unit of formula C or structural unit of formula D

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the polymer comprises structural unit of formula C. at least one of structural unit of formula H and structural unit of formula 1, and, at least one of structural unit of formula J and structural unit of formula K

9. The method of claim 5, wherein a concentration ratio by weight of each of the at least one clement to the polymer in the aqueous solution ranges from about 100:1 to about 1:1000.
10. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one clement is selected from the group consisting of mercury, chromium, copper, zinc, lead, cobalt, cadmium, nickel and combinations thereof.
11. The method of claim 5, wherein the polymer comprises structural units of formula I, formula II, and formula III
wherein
R,is-OMor-NH2;
Ra, R9, R12, and R|6 arc independently hydrogen, or a methyl group;
R3, R4, R?, R«. Rio, R11. R17, and Rjs are independently hydrogen, a methyl group, or -COOH, only one of R3 and Rj, or R7 and Rg, or Rio and Rn, or R17 and Ris is -COOH;

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the polymer comprises from about 0.1 mol% io about 40 mol% of structural units of formula III based on a total of structural units of formula I, Hand III.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein the polymer comprises from about 1 mol% to about 10 mo!% of structural units of formula III based on a total of structural units of formula I, II and HI.
14. The method of claim 5, wherein the removing is by filtering the precipitate from the aqueous solution.
15. The method of claim 5, wherein the aqueous solution comprises calcium ions or magnesium ions.
16. The method of claim 5, wherein a pH of the aqueous solution is at least about 7.
17. A polymer comprising structural units of formula I, formula II, and formula in
wherein
R,is-OMor-NH2;
R2, R<), R12, and R|$ arc independently hydrogen, or a methyl group;
R.i. R4, R7, Rs, Rio« R11, Rt7. and Ris are independently hydrogen, a methyl group, or -COOK, only one of Rj and Rj, or R7 and R$, or Rio and R'n, or R17 and Ris is -COOH;

.CSSM
R,s is -CSSM, N/ , or NX ; and
M is monovalent cation.
18. The polymer of claim 17, wherein the polymer comprises structural units of formula A, formula B, and, formula.C or formula.D
19. The polymer of claim 17, wherein the polymer comprises structural units of formula E, formula F, and, formula C or formula D