Copper uptake potential of different bacterial strains isolated from contaminated soil was compared. The bacterial strain identified as Bacillus polymyxa showed maximum copper uptake capacity. An attempt was made to elucidate the site of interaction of Cu(II) with B. polymyxa using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies. The EPR spectra showed that accumulated copper formed complexes with oxygen and nitrogen which may be the carboxyl groups of cell-wall peptidoglycan and nitrogen atoms of aminosugars or structural proteins. The absence of super hyperfine splitting in the g ⊥ region of EPR spectra of treated B. polymyxa cells after Cu(II) uptake indicated that copper could be coordinated with the oxygen atoms from carboxyl groups of peptidoglycan in the cell walls.Copper uptake potential of different bacterial strains isolated from contaminated soil was compared. The bacterial strain identified as Bacillus polymyxa showed maximum copper uptake capacity. An attempt was made to elucidate the site of interaction of Cu(II) with B. polymyxa using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies. The EPR spectra showed that accumulated copper formed complexes with oxygen and nitrogen which may be the carboxyl groups of cell-wall peptidoglycan and nitrogen atoms of aminosugars or structural proteins. The absence of super hyperfine splitting in the g is perpendicular to region of EPR spectra of treated B. polymyxa cells after Cu(II) uptake indicated that copper could be coordinated with the oxygen atoms from carboxyl groups of peptidoglycan in the cell walls.