Manufacture of modified starches

Claim 1

IN CARRYING OUT A REACTION OF THE TYPE WHICH COMPRISES FORMING AN AQUEOUS SUSPENSION OF STARCH IN UNDISSOLVED CONDITION, ESTABLISHING THE PH OF THE MIXTURE BETWEEN ABOUT 7 TO ABOUT 12 SO THAT THE ALKALINITY CAUSES REACTIVITY WITHOUT PASTING THE STARCH, ADDING A MINOR PROPORTION OF A CHLORIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PHOSPHORUS OXYCHLORIDE, PHOSPHORUS PENTACHLORIDE, THIO PHOSPHORYL CHLORIDE, ANTIMONY PENTACHLORIDE, ANTIMONY OXYCHLORIDE AND EPICHLOROHYDRIN, MAINTAINING CONTACT BETWEEN THE SAID STARCH AND CHLORIDE UNTIL REACTION BETWEEN THE STARCH AND CHLORIDE IS EFFECTED, THEN MAKING THE MIXTURE ACIDIC, AND FILTERING OUT THE STARCH PRODUCT APPEARING AS SOLID MATERIAL IN THE MIXTURE, THE METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAID REACTION WHICH COMPRISES ADDING A SUBSTANTIALLY NEUTRAL WATER SOLUBLE METAL SALT TO THE REACTION MIXTURE SO THAT THE REACTION BETWEEN THE CHLORIDE AND STARCH WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE PRESENCE OF SUCH ADDED NEUTRAL SALT, SAID NEUTRAL SALT BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKALI METAL AND ALKALI EARTH METAL SALTS WHICH HYDROLYZE TO GIVE SUBSTANTIALLY NEUTRAL AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS, SAID NEUTRAL SALT BEING ADDED IN THE PROPORTION OF UP TO ABOUT 10% BY WEIGHT OF THE AMOUNT OF DRY STARCH SOLIDS IN THE SAID REACTION MIXTURE AND THE AMOUNT OF SAID NEUTRAL SALT BEING THAT WHICH WILL GIVE THE DESIRED DEGREE OF MODIFICATION FOR THE AMOUNT OF CLORIDE EMPLOYED IN THE REACTION MIXTURE.