AbstractA study has been made of the effect of molybdenum trioxide on the thermal degradation of a series of chlorinated and brominated polyester thermosets. Like antimony oxide, it showed flame retardant activity in all the halogenated polyesters. It was shown to affect the char yield, and the temperature and weight loss of each degradation step. X‐Ray diffraction studies of the degraded dibromoneopentyl glycol polyesters showed that in air a near‐quantitative yield of molybdenum trioxide was present above 550 °C. Some dioxide was present before the final char oxidation step occurred. In a nitrogen atmoshphere the trioxide was reduced to the dioxide at first, but this finally reacted to give the carbide at around 900 °C. Infrared spectroscopy showed that inclusion of the molybdenum trioxide resulted in structural changes in the high‐temperature polyester residues which were more prominent when bromine was present. Elemental analysis of the residues indicated that the presence of the trioxide in the brominated polyesters accelerated the release of bromine at high temperatures and confirmed its char‐promoting t
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