The fractal dimension of a macromolecular coil is used for the characterization of a polymeric melt structure. It is shown that the kinetics of oxygen consumption is defined by both the chemical constitution of a polymer and its structure. The quantitative analysis of the kinetical curves of the oxygen consumption in the thermooxidative degradation process was carried out in the framework of the fractal approach. (C) 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 2378-2381, 2003.