Hexachloroethane
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hexachloroethane
[¦hek·sə¦klȯr·ō′e‚thān]Hexachloroethane
the chlorine-substituted ethane CCl3—CCl3; colorless crystals with a weak camphoraceous odor. Melting point, 189°C (fused capillary). Hexachloroethane sublimes in open vessels; it is insoluble in water, moderately soluble in alcohol and ether, and readily soluble in carbon disulfide; it is stable toward acid and alkali action in the cold.
Hexachloroethane is produced by chlorinating tetrachloroethylene (CCl2═CCl2) at 100°-200°C under pressure; it is also a side product in the production of CCl4 from CS2 and Cl2. Hexachloroethane is used as a camphor substitute, in the production of nitrocellulose plastics, in admixture with some metals as a smoke producer, and as a luminescence intensifier in pyrotechnic compounds, as well as in medicine as an anthelmintic in treating liver helminthiases, opistorchiasis, and fascioliasis.