A series of novel metal-containing aromatic polyimides were synthesized from divalent metal oxide/hydroxide (MO/M(OH)(2)) (M = Ba, Sr, Ca, Mg, Zn, Cd, Co, Ni, Pb, Cu), p-aniline sulfonic acid (ASA), and 3,3'-4,4'-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA). The C, H, N, and S contents were determined by elemental analysis, their structures were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H-1-NMR) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and the thermal properties of the polymers were also studied by TG-DTA. It is found that metal-containing polyimides have a higher thermal stability.