Hexachloroethane

hexachloroethane

[¦hek·sə¦klȯr·ō′e‚thān]

(organic chemistry)

Cl₃CCCl₃ Colorless crystals with a camphorlike odor, melting point 185°C, toxic; used in organic synthesis, as a retarding agent in fermentation, and as a rubber accelerator.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

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.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.