ABSTRACT
Polyethylene by its very nature is relatively chemically inert. The small dipole moments associated with carbon-hydrogen and saturated carbon-carbon covalent bonds severely limit the types of reactions that polyethylene is likely to undergo. The introduction of unsaturation or the incorporation of various other atoms increases the probability of chemical reaction. In particular, the copolymerization of ethylene with polar comonomers results in polymers that undergo a wide range of reactions characteristic of the polar group. Commercially the most relevant categories of reactions undergone by polyethylene are chain degradation, cross-linking, oxidation, surface modification, and grafting.
