A water-insoluble amine-aldehyde copolymer intumescent agent having a number average molecular weight of about 350-2000 and consisting essentially of repeating units corresponding to the formula: ##SPC1## Wherein Q is the aldehyde residue and R is hydrogen, alkyl, haloalkyl, alkoxy, haloalkoxy, halo, nitro, acetamido, or sulfonamido is mixed with about 10-50% by weight of a synergist corresponding to the formula: ##SPC2## Wherein X is chloro or bromo, T is halo, hydrogen, or a hydrocarbyl or hydrocarbyloxy group, and Z is a monocyclic divalent saturated polybromocycloalkylene group containing 5-16 carbon atoms and 2-6 bromine atoms: said valences being on adjacent carbon atoms; to increase the foam volume obtainable from the intumescent agent. The compositions comprising the intumescent agent and synergist may be applied to substrates by conventional techniques.
A fire extinguishing composition is disclosed comprising three essential ingredients that reinforce cooperatively the action of each ingredient when applied to an object on fire, (A) an ionic complex containing in an anionic portion thereof complexed nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen, and aluminum, (B) a boric acid compound such as orthoboric acid, metaboric acid, or boric anhydride, and (C) urea. Flammable objects, particularly objects made of cellulose, are reduced in flammability by being pretreated with the composition disclosed. A new process for preparing the ionic complex ingredient of the fire extinguishing composition is also disclosed.
