Mothballs are divided into natural mothballs and synthetic mothballs. Natural mothballs are smooth colorless or white crystals with a fragrant smell and will float in water. Natural mothballs, also known as smelly beads, are used to prevent insects, moths and mildew. They are originally aromatic organic compounds extracted from camphor tree branches and leaves. It is also used in pharmaceuticals, spices, etc., and is used as a cardiotonic medicine in medicine.
Synthetic mothballs are an organic compound. Most mothballs containing naphthalene are white, pungent and submerged in water.
Pure camphor is better in color and purity than naphthalene-made sanitary balls, and it will not leave yellow spots when sprinkled directly on fabrics. However, pure camphor resources are limited, and camphor is more useful in medicine, plastics and perfume industries.
Extended data:
Mothballs can be divided into natural mothballs and synthetic mothballs. Mothballs containing naphthalene are mostly white, pungent and submerged in water; Natural mothballs, on the other hand, are smooth colorless or white crystals with a fragrant smell and will float in water. Natural mothballs, also known as smelly beads, are used to prevent insects, moths and mildew. They are originally aromatic organic compounds extracted from camphor tree branches and leaves.
However, synthetic mothballs containing naphthalene or p-dichlorobenzene have pungent taste, and dichlorobenzene is toxic, which can cause symptoms of human poisoning, such as burnout, dizziness, headache and diarrhea. At present, more than 80% of camphor balls sold in the market contain naphthalene or p-dichlorobenzene to varying degrees, and less than 1/6 products are printed with "no naphthalene and p-dichlorobenzene, safe, efficient and harmless to human body".
There are four effective components in common mothballs in supermarkets: natural camphor, synthetic camphor, naphthalene and dichlorobenzene. The latter two kinds have certain toxicity, but because of their low price, they still exist in large quantities on the market, and more than 80% of mothballs are not natural.
References:
Baidu encyclopedia-camphor ball