A monomer, diethyl α,α‐dimethyl‐m‐isopropenylbenzyl carbamoylphosphonate, has been prepared by the base‐catalyzed reaction of the isocyanate m‐TMI (α,α‐dimethyl‐m‐isopropenylbenzylisocyanate) with diethyl phosphite. The structure of the carbamoylphosphonate monomer and its styrene copolymer was confirmed spectroscopically, and the nature of the hydrogen bondings in the NHC(O)P(O)(OR)2 unit in the monomer and copolymer is discussed in detail. A bulk polymerization of the carbamoylphosphonate is very slow and tends to yield a crosslinked product, but a solution polymerization produced the soluble copolymers. The Tg(midpoint) of the homo‐polymer is low, 67°C, and its capacity to complex UO2(NO3)2 is very high, 28 wt % (19 mol %). © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 889–899, 1997