Post-halogenation of halogen containing resins

Claim 1

A NON-CATALYTIC PROCESS FOR PRODUCING CHLORINATED POLYVINYL CHLORIDE RESIN HAVING A DENSITY WITHIN THE RANGGE OF FROM ABOUT 1.43 TO 1.65 GRAMS/CC. AT 25*C. COMPRISING PASSING CHLORINE GAS INTO AN AGITATED SUSPENSION OF A MINOR PROPORTION OF A MACRO-GRANULAR POLYVINYL CHLORIDE RESIN HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL ITS PARTICLES ABOVE 10 MICRONS IN DIAMETER, SAID PARTICLES CONTAINING BETWEEN ABOUT 5 AND ABOUT 50% BY VOLUME OF PORE SPACE IN A MAJOR PROPORTION OF AN AQOEUOS MEDIUM CONTAINING ABOUT 5% TO ABOUT 25% BY VOLUME, BASED ON THE TOTAL LIQUID CONTENT OF SAID MEDIUM, OF A CHLOROMETHANE AS A SWELLING AGENT WHILE MAINTAINING SAID SUSPENSION AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM 60 TO 100*C. AND A PRESSURE OF FROM 20 TO 80 P.S.I.G. IN THE SUBSTANTIAL ABSENCE OF OXYGEN AND PHOTO-ILLUMINATION, SAID POLYVINY, CHLORIDE RESIN HAVING A MOLECULAR WEEIGHT AT LEAST EQUIVALENT TO THAT OF A POLYVINYL CHLORIDE OF SPECIFIC VISCOSITY 0.40, SEPARATING THE SOLID, MACRO-GRANULAR PRODUCT FROM SAID SUSPENSION AND NEUTRALIZING SAID SOLID PRODUCT, SAID PRODUCT CHARATERIZED BY HAVING A HEAT DISTORTION TEEMPERATURE MEASURED BY ASTM TEST METHOD D348 WHICH IS AT LEAST 20*C. HIGHER THAN OF THE UNCHLORINATED POLYVINYL CHLORIDE RESIN.