Three different immobilized boronates were compared with respect to their possible utility in studies of adenine and pyridine nucleotide metabolism. These included boronate derivatives of polyacrylamide, Sepharose, and the cation-exchange resin, Bio-Rex 70. The relative binding affinities, binding capacities, and elution properties were compared. Under the conditions utilized, the Sepharose and Bio-Rex 70 derivatives selectively retained nucleotides containing two or more sets of 1,2 cis-diol groups. Since the bulk of cellular nucleic acids contain but a single set of 1,2 cis-diol groups or less, these boronate derivatives are very useful for the isolation of the acid-soluble nucleotides, NAD and diadenosine 5',5"'-tetraphosphate, and for the acid-insoluble polymer, poly(ADP-ribose). The Bio-Rex 70 derivative had a particularly useful combination of binding selectivity, capacity, and elution characteristics. Specific applications of this resin for studies of NAD and poly(ADP-ribose) metabolism are presented.