The present invention provides an optical polyimide precursor for use in making a polyimide. The precursor is defined by the following formula: wherein X is Cl, Br, oxo-halide, or fully halogenated alkyl, and A is a divalent aromatic or halogenated aromatic moiety. The present invention provides a method of preparing a diamine compound for use as an optical polyimide precursor. The method includes the steps of dissolving 2-chloro-5-nitrobenzotrifluoride and a diol in N,N-dimethylacetamide to form a solution, adding potassium carbonate, tert-butylammonium chloride and copper powder to said solution and heating the resulting mixture, removing the copper, precipitating and recrystallizing a dinitro-compound resulting from heating the mixture, and dissolving the dinitro-compound and reducing the dinitro-compound to yield a diamine compound.