The copolymer prepared by copolymerizing acrylamide and maleic anhydride was imidized with N,N-dimethylaminopropylamine. The obtained acrylamide-N,N-dimethylaminopropylmaleimide (ADMAPM) copolymer was then reacted with propane sultone to yield an acrylamide-N,N-dimethylmaleimidopropyl ammoniopropane sulfonate (ADMMAPS) copolymer or then reacted with methyl iodide to yield a poly(methyl iodide quaternized acrylamide-N,N-dimethylaminopropyl maleimide) copolymer [poly(MIQADMAPM)]. The kinetic parameters, such as the reaction order, the activation energy, and the preexponential factor, of the thermal degradation were evaluated from thermal gravimetric curves for these two copolymers. The activation energy and preexponential factor of the poly(ADMMAPS) were higher than those of poly(MIQADMAPM) for Ozawa's method and van Krevelen's method. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 66: 95–103, 1997