The kinetic studies of the crosslinking reaction of a nadic end-capped imide model compound, N,N＇-(oxydi-3,4＇-phenylene) bis(5-norbornene-2,3-dicarboximide), a bisnadimide, in thermal and microwave processes were investigated. The conversion of the endo isomer to exo isomer proceeds at a much lower temperature than the crosslinking reaction. The crosslinking reaction was monitored by the combined decrease in the infrared absorptions of the endo and exo isomers at 840 and 780 cm(-1), respectively. The decrease in the concentration of starting materials follows first-order kinetics in the thermal and microwave processes. At the same temperatures (230 or 280 degrees C), the crosslinking reaction proceeds at about 10 times faster in the microwave process than in the thermal process. Solid-state C-13-NMR showed no significant loss in C=C double bond resonance in the cured products by comparison with the starting material. This study provides direct evidence that the microwave process may be an efficient method to cure nadic end-capped polyimides.