Camphor, << KAM fuhr, >> is a substance that comes from the camphor tree. The trees grow tall and have white flowers. Most grow in Japan, China, and the island of Taiwan. Camphor trees are also grown in southern California and the Southern States.
Camphor is produced by steaming wood chips from the camphor tree. In this process, camphor collects in an oily layer on the chips. The oily substance is drained and pressed to remove the oil and water. Camphor is left in the form of whitish, almost transparent crystals. The crystals are usually purified by sublimation, a process by which the camphor changes directly from a solid into a vapor, leaving behind impurities. Today, chemists produce synthetic camphor in laboratories.
Camphor is used in cosmetics, lacquers, and pharmaceuticals. Spirits of camphor—a mixture of 10 parts camphor, 70 parts alcohol, and 20 parts water—is a mild antiseptic. Camphor is also combined with another compound to make camphorated parachlorophenol, a germ-killing drug sometimes used in dental work. Chemists use camphor to denature ethyl alcohol, the alcohol used in alcoholic beverages. Denatured alcohol is ethyl alcohol that has been made unfit for drinking but has other uses. Large doses of camphor are poisonous and will cause delirium and convulsions.
