Chlorination and sulfochlorination of low-pressure polyethylene

Claim 1

A NOVEL PROCESS OF CHLORINATING POLYETHYLENE HAVING A MOLECULAR WEIGHT ABOVE 50,000, A MELTING POINT OF AT LEAST 130*C., A CRYSTALLINITY OF AT LEAST 80%, CONTAINING LESS THAN THREE METHYL GROUPS PER 100 METHYLENE GROUPS, AND BEING INSOLUBLE IN CHLORINATED HYDROCARBONS AT TEMPERATURES BELOW 100*C., SAID POLYETHYLENE BEING PREPARED BY POLYMERIZING ETHYLENE IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYTIC AMOUNT OF A HEAVY METAL COMPOUND OF SUBGROUPS IV-VI OF THE PERIODIC TABLE AND A METALLO-ORGANIC COMPOUND, SAID NOVEL PROCESS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FIRST CONTACTING SAID POLYETHYLENE WITH CHLORINE UNDER ELEVATED PRESSURE AT A TEMPERATURE OF 100-160*C. IN A CHLORINATED HYDROCARBON HAVING A BOILING POINT BELOW 100*C. TO FORM A HOMOGENEOUS SOLUTION OF PARTIALLY CHLORINATED POLYETHYLENE, THE LATTER HAVING A CHLORINE CONTENT OF 5-10% BY WEIGHT, COOLING SAID SOLUTION TO A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 20-80*C., AND THEN INTRODUCING ADDITIONAL CHLORINE INTO SAID SOLUTION UNDER ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE WHILE MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE WITHIN SAID RANGE OF 20-80*C. UNTIL CHLORINATION OF THE POLYETHYLENE IS COMPLETED.