This thesis explored thermal amide bond formation with small molecules (benzylamine and benzoic acid) and the effect of water already present or produced during the amidation onto the reaction, and synthesized polymers functionalized through amide bonds (thermal condensation between polyacrylic acid and different amines). The relaxation rate of PAA derivatives complexed with paramagnetic metal ions was determined, and it indicates that polymer functionalization could produce efficient transition metal chelators, making them potentially useful in the fields of environmental protection and diagnostics. Nevertheless, further improvement should be made to increase the polymer stability by optimizing its structure.