Grafting of a carbamoylmethylphosphine oxide (CMPO) calix[4]arene ligand to the silica surface yields an anchored host site that displays an unusual 22.4-fold higher affinity (kD value) for EuIII relative to AmIII. This selective cation recognition is in stark contrast to a more flexible propoxy-tethered CMPO-calix[4]arene site on silica.