Treatment of polyolefins

Claim 1

TREATMENT FOR POLYMERIZED, ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MATERIALS PREPARED WITH A CATALYST SYSTEM OF THE VARIETY ADAPTED TO POLYMERIZE ETHYLENE AND PROPYLENE IN INERT NON-AQUEOUS LIQUID MEDIA AT TEMPERATURES BETWEEN ABOUT 50*C. AND 300*C. UNDER PRESSURES BETWEEN ABOUT 1 AND ABOUT 2,000 ATMOSPHERES TO NORMALLY SOLID POLYOLEFIN POLYMER PRODUCTS, WHICH SYSTEM CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF A MIXTURE OF (1) A STRONG REDUCING AGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALUMINUM TRIALKYLS, DIALKYL ALUMINUM HALIDES AND DIALKYL ALUMINUM HYDRIDES WITH (2) A METAL COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HALOGENIDES, OXYHALOGENIDES, COMPLES HALOGENIDES, FRESHLY PRECIPITATED OXIDES, FRESHLY PRECIPITATED HYDROXIDES, ALCOHOLATES, ACETATES, BENZOATES, AND ACETYL ACETONATES OF THE GROUPS IV-B, V-B AND VI-B METALS OF THE MENDELEEFF PERIODIC SYSTEM WHICH TREATMENT, AS A PROCESS, COMPRISES SUBJECTING THE POLYMERIC PRODUCT WHILE IT IS IN A MOLTEN CONDITION AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 125*C. AND 300*C. TO INTIMATE CONTACT WITH AN AMOUNT BETWEEN ABOUT 1 AND 10 PERCENT BY WEIGHT, BASED ON POLYMER WEIGHT, OF AN AQUEOUS AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE REAGENT HAVING A CONCENTRATION OF AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE BETWEEN ABOUT 10 AND 60 PERCENT BY WEIGHT.