Benzyl bisthiosemicarbazone and its complexes with nickel (NiLH4) and copper (CuLH4) were used as diamine monomers for the synthesis of new Schiff-base polyimides. The solution polycondensation of these monomers with the aromatic dianhydrides afforded metal-containing Schiff-base polyimides with inherent viscosities of 0.98-1.33 dL/g (measured in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone at 25 degrees C). The polyimides were generally soluble in a wide range of solvents such as N,N-dimethylformamide, N,N-dimethylacetamide, tetrahydrofuran, dimethyl sulfoxide, tetrachloroethane, hexamethylene phosphoramide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, ethyl acetate, and pyridine at room temperature. The initial degradation temperatures of the resultant polyimides fell in the range of 220-350 degrees C in nitrogen with char yields ranging from 36 to 64% at 700 degrees C. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 118: 2496-2501, 2010