Method for producing high crystalline 1-olefin polymers of decreased flammability by treatment with nitric acid and resulting products

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED THERMOPLASTIC HAVING LOW FLAMMABILITY COMPRISING A NORMALLY FLAMMABLE SOLID POLYMER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HOMOPOLYMERS OF ETHYLENE, PROPYLENE, 1-BUTENE, 1-PENTENE, 1-HEXENE, 1-OCTENE, 4METHYL-1-PENTENE, 4-METHYL-1-HEXENE, 6-METHYL-1-HEPTENE, AND 4-ETHYL-1-HEXENE AND A COPOLYMER OF ONE OF SAID MONOMERS WITH A SMALL AMOUNT OF A DIFFERENT MONOMER SELECTED FROM SAID MONOMERS AND BUTADIENE, SAID POLYMER HAVING A CRYSTALLINITY OF AT LEAST 80 PERCENT AT ROOM TEMPERATURE AS DETERMINED BY NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE WHICH HAS BEEN CONTACTED IN ITS SOLID PHASE WITH NITRIC ACID OF 25 TO 100 PERCENT CONCENTRATION AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 210* F. TO ABOUT 15* F. BELOW THE SOFTENING POINT OF SAID POLYMER FOR A TIME OF ABOUT 30 MINUTES TO 2 HOURS.