• 1,7,7-trimethyl-bicyclo(2,2,1)heptan-2-one
• d-camphor
• d-(+)-camphor
• (+)-2-bornanone
• d-2-bornanone
• 1,7,7-trimethylnorcamphor
• 2-camphanone
• 2-camphonone
• bornan-2-one, or
• caladryl

Camphor is a white transparent waxy crystalline solid with a strong penetrating pungent aromatic odor. It is found in wood of the camphor laurel, Cinnamonum camphora, which is a large evergreen tree found in Asia (particularly in Borneo, hence its alternate name); it can also be synthetically produced from oil of turpentine.

Modern uses include as a plasticizer for cellulose nitrate, as a moth repellent, in embalming, and in fireworks. A form of anti-itch gel currently on the market uses camphor as its active ingredient. Historically it has been used in medicine. In 1980, the United States Food and Drug Administration set a limit of 11% allowable camphor in consumer products and totally banned products labeled as camphorated oil, camphor oil, camphor liniment, and camphorated liniment. Camphor is readily absorbed through the skin and produces a feeling of cooling similar to that of menthol and acts as slight local anesthetic; however, it is poisonous when ingested and can cause seizures, mental confusion, irritability, and neuromuscular hyperactivity. Since alternative treatments exist, medicinal use of camphor is discouraged, except for skin-related uses, such as medicated powders, which contain only small amounts of camphor.

Other substances deriving from trees are sometimes wrongly sold as camphor.

The word camphor derives from the Malay word kapur, meaning “camphor tree.”

Chemical Information

General
Name	Camphor
Chemical formula	C10H16O
Appearance	White or clear crystals
CAS-number	76-22-2
Physical
Formula weight	152.2358 u
Melting point	177 °C
Boiling point	207 °C
Density	0.99 g/cm3
Solubility	0.12 g in 100 ml water
Safety
Dangers	Flammable, combustible
Information from Chemfinder. SI units were used where possible. Unless otherwise stated, standard conditions were used.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article “Camphor”.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 26th, 2005 at 7:49 pm and is filed under Aromatherapy and Essential Oils. Both comments and pings are currently closed.