Chlorocarboxylation of polyethylene. I. Preparation and structure of chlorocarboxylated polyethylene

Chlorocarboxylated polyethylene (CCPE) is produced by simultaneous reaction of chlorine and maleic anhydride (MA) with polyethylene (PE). Low concentrations of the carboxyl groups in CCPE have been quantitatively estimated by dye interaction method and non‐aqueous titration procedure. IR spectroscopic data are presented for the structural characterization of CCPE. During chlorocarboxylation, maleic anhydride can be anchored to the backbone chlorinated PE (CPE) chain as a chlorinated single monomeric unit without forming any graft copolymer of short branches.