AbstractSeveral samples of polyethylene were exposed to attack by fuming nitric acid and the resulting changes in density, infrared absorption, and visual appearance were recorded. The motivation for this investigation lies in the possibility of using acid etching as a means of studying the structure of interspherulitic regions in polyethylene and the relations between these and structure‐sensitive properties such as stress‐crack resistance. The results indicate that certain parts of the samples were attacked preferentially by the acid; the residual material, though of a porous gross structure, was of higher density than that of the average initial material. The differences in visual appearance were the most dramatic and appear to correlate with stress‐crack resistance. Insofar as quantitative characterization of interspherulitic regions are concerned, the merits of this method of investigation are still in doubt and await further
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