A series of new polyimides was prepared by reacting 2,6-diaminopyridine with various aromatic dianhydrides in DMF in I : I mole ratio. All the resulting polyimides were readily soluble in organic solvents such as dimethylformamide, N,N-dimethylacetamide, pyridine, m-cresol, THF, etc. They also show good film-forming ability. The polyimides exhibit good thermal stability and mechanical properties. The polymers have high T g in the range of 252-296degreesC. The inherent viscosities of the polymers vary from 0.81 to 1.28 dL/g. A new class of bismaleimide and polyaspartimide as also synthesized. All the resulting polymer structures were characterized by FTIR and elemental analysis. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.