Trioxane-trioxaspiro compound copolymers and process for production thereof

Copolymers of trioxane with a minor amount of at least one cyclic-trioxa-spiro-orthoester of formula where R is a divalent radical from the group ethylene, alkyl-substituted ethylene and haloalkyl-substituted ethylene and R1 is a divalent radical from the group alkylene having at least 3 and not greater than 12 carbon atoms and halogen-substituted alkylene having at least 3 and not greater than 12 carbon atoms. Specified ortho esters X-[4.4]-nonane, X-[4.5]-decane, X - [4.6] - undecane, 2 - butyl - X - [4.5]-decane, 2 - ethyl - X - [4.6] - undecane, 2 - octyl - X -[4.4] - nonane, 7 - methyl - X - [4.4] - nonane, 2.7 - dimethyl - X - [4.4] - nonane, 2 - chloromethyl - X - [4.4] - nonane, 8 or 9 chloro - X - [4.4] - nonane, 2 - methyl - X - [4.4] - nonane and 2 - methyl - X [4.4] - nonane, where X is 1.4.6-trioxa-spiro-. The polymerization takes place in the presence of a cationic catalyst such as complexes of Lewis acids, boron trifluoride, oxonium fluoborates and carbonium fluoborates of which long lists are given; catalyst activators such as acetic acid, acetyl chloride, t-butyl-chloride, diphenyl-methyl chloride, triphenylmethyl chloride, ethyl or butyl fluoride, ethylene fluoride, ethylidene fluoride, benzal fluoride and benztrifluoride may also be present. The polymerization may take place in the presence (preferably) or absence of a solvent.