The possibility of correlating the kinetic parameters for the thermal decompositions of a series of NiLCl2 complexes, where L=N-methylfornamide (nmf), N-methylacetamide (nma) or acetamide (aa), with the nature (steric and electronic effects) of the coordinated ligands and the strengths of the metal-ligand bonds has been explored. The rates of removal of L in single endothermic processes were measured using isothermal TG in nitrogen.Plots of alpha against time are deceleratory and are best described by either the R2 or R3 expressions. An empirical (B2) expression : v(r)=1-(kt)(b), was introduced to give the best description of the results for the Ni(nma)Cl-2 complex.Comparable E(a)values were obtained using various isothermal and non-isothermal methods of analysis. E-a values for the NiLCl2 system (calculated using the R3 model) generally increased with an increase in basicity of the amide ligand:N-methylformamide similar to acetamide < N-methylacetamideE-a values were found to be lower than the corresponding decomposition enthalpies (Delta H-L), indicating that cleavage of the nickel-amide bond could be the rate-controlling event. The order of E-a Values was found not to coincide with that of the Delta H-L values. Extrapolated onset temperatures (T-e) and temperatures at maximum decomposition rate (T-max) were determined from TG and DSC curves. No simple correlation was found between E-a, Delta H-L, T-e or T-max and the spectral properties of the complexes.