Polyhalogenous polyester compositions

Claim 1

A POLYESTER FORMED BY COPOLYMERIZING IN ADMIXTURE REACTANTS CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF (1) A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ORGANIC DICARBOXYLIC ACID ANHYDRIDES AND ORGANIC DICARBOXYLIC ACIDS, AND (2) A VICINAL ALKYLENE OXIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF (A) AN ALKYLENE OXIDE CONTAINING FROM THREE TO FOUR CARBON ATOMS, INCLUSIVE, AND HAVING AN ALKYL GROUP ATTACHED TO A CARBON ATOM OF THE OXIRANE RING, SAID ALKYL GROUP HAVING UP TO TWO CARBON ATOMS AND CONTAINING AT LEAST TWO HALOGEN ATOMS, EACH HALOGEN HAVING AN ATOMIC WEIGHT OF 19 TO 80, INCLUSIVE, AND (B) A VICINAL ALKYLENE OXIDE AS DEFINED IN (A) TOGETHER WITH A VICINAL ALKYLENE OXIDE, SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SATURATED ALKYLENE OXIDES AND ALKYLENE OXIDES WHICH ARE FREE FROM OTHER THAN AROMATIC UNSATURATION, HAVING AS A SUBSTITUENT ATTACHED TO A CARBON ATOM OF THE OXIRANE RING A MEMBER OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HYDROGEN AND AN ALKYL GROUP, SAID ALKYL GROUP HAVING UP TO TWO CARBON ATOMS, INCLUSIVE, AND CONTAINING FROM ZERO TO ONE HALOGEN ATOM, INCLUSIVE, ANY HALOGEN HAVING AN ATOMIC WEIGHT OF 1. TO 80, INCLUSIVE, SAID ALKYLENE OXIDE AS DEFINED IN (A) BEING PRESENT IN AMOUNT OF AT LEAST ABOUT 50% BY WEIGHT OF THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF ALKYLENE OXIDE AS DEFINED IN (B), THE MOLAR RATIO OF (1) TO (2) BEING ABOUT 1:1 TO ABOUT 1:6, SAID POLYESTER BEING CHARACTERIZED BY THE RPESENCE OF PENDANT HALOALKYL GROUPS WHICH HAVE UP TO 2 CARBON ATOMS AND WHICH CONTAIN AT LEAST 2 HALOGEN ATOMS.