Method of producing modified polyethylene wax

Claim 1

A variation of a method of producing a modified waxy ethylene polymer comprising A. polymerizing ethylene in an inert hydrocarbon solvent and in the presence of at least one member of the group consisting of hydrogen and an alpha olefin: (1) at a temperature of 120° to 250° C.; (2) at a pressure ranging from the vapor pressure of the solvent at the polymerization temperature to 100 Kg/cm 2 ; and (3) using a catalyst composed of an organoaluminum compound together with a halogen compound of at least one of the group consisting of titanium and vanadium, said halogen compound being supported on a carrier comprising a hydrocarbon-insoluble magnesium-containing compound; to form a waxy ethylene polymer having a viscosity average molecular weight of 500 to 30,000, as determined from measuring the inherent viscosity in a decalin solution at 135° C., and having a density of 0.900 to 0.975 g/cm 3 , B. reacting one of the group consisting of maleic, fumaric, citraconic, itaconic or himic acids, their anhydrides, or their esters, with the resulting waxy ethylene polymer in the presence of one of the group consisting of dialkyl peroxides, diacyl peroxides, and peroxy esters, present in an amount of from 0.01 to 20 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the polyethylene wax and at a temperature from the melting point of the waxy ethylene polymer to 250° C., to form a modified waxy ethylene polymer, C. wherein the waxy ethylene polymer or modified waxy ethylene polymer is contacted with oxygen at a temperature of from its melting point to 200° C., so that the polymer being oxidized absorbs from 0.1 to 3% of its own weight of oxygen and so that its acid value is increased from 0.3 to 3.0.