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| Synonyms:(1R)-(+)-Camphor Natural Camphor 2-Bornanone, (1R)- Camphor, natural Molecular Formula:C₁₀H₁₆O Molecular Weight: 152.23 HS Code: 2914291000 Grade: Industrial grade Fragrance Grade96% Hazard Class:Class 4.1 | |||||||||
464-49-3
bosschem
464-49-3
D-Camphor, also known as dextrorotatory camphor (D-(+)-camphor) and chemically named 1,7,7-trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2-one (camphor), is the most abundant enantiomer of camphor in nature. It is a white, translucent crystal with a strong characteristic odor. It is a classic plasticizer for celluloid plastics, a core ingredient in mentholatum and medicated oils, and a characteristic fragrance ingredient in cooling herbal fragrances. From the plastics industry to insect repellents to precision chemicals, from perfumes and aromatherapy to food flavorings, D-camphor spans multiple fields including industry, daily necessities, and fragrances.
Basic information: Molecular formula C10H16O, molecular weight 152.24, CAS number 464-49-3 (D-dextral camphor, natural main component); Camphor common CAS 76-22-2, EC 200-945-0; FEMA number 2231 (food flavoring).
Physically, D-camphor is a white, translucent crystal with a fragrant and strong camphor odor; density 0.992 g/cm³; melting point 175-177℃ (natural dextrorotatory form about 178℃); boiling point 209℃; almost insoluble in water (about 1.2 g/L), extremely soluble in ethanol, ether, chloroform, and acetone (1000-2500 g/L); specific rotation [α]D +44.1° (dextrorotatory); it easily sublimes at room temperature, which is a key property for its use as a mothproofing and rust-preventing fumigant.
Chemically, D-camphor is a terpenoid cyclic ketone: its carbonyl group can be reduced (sodium borohydride reduces it to isoborneol), sulfonated (to produce camphor sulfonic acid), oxidized (selenium dioxide oxidizes it to camphor quinone), and undergo enolization condensation. Its chiral skeleton makes it an important natural chiral source. It is stable in fragrance systems and highly compatible with cooling herbal fragrance ingredients. It has a flash point of 54°C and is a flammable solid. It must be stored in a sealed container, away from fire.
plays an irreplaceable role due to its "easy sublimation and volatilization + antagonistic irritation mechanism + chiral ketone skeleton + complex aroma". The mechanism of action in different applications is as follows:
Camphor molecules are small and have good compatibility with nitrocellulose. They can insert into the polymer chains to weaken the inter-chain forces and lower the glass transition temperature, making nitrocellulose change from a brittle and hard state to a soft and plastic one. This led to the creation of celluloid, which was the earliest thermoplastic plasticizer.
After being absorbed through the skin, camphor stimulates the nerve endings that are sensitive to heat and cold: applying it vigorously produces a warming sensation, while applying it lightly produces a cooling sensation. This "anti-stimulation" effect can mask deep pain (local analgesia) and relieve insect bites, itching, joint pain, etc., and is the basis for external preparations such as mentholatum and medicated oil.
D-camphor sublimates at room temperature, slowly vaporizes, and forms stable vapor in enclosed spaces (wardrobes, toolboxes, warehouses). This is the core physical basis for its moth-proof, insect-repellent, and rust-proof fumigation effects, and it is also the reason why fragrance products continuously and slowly release their aroma—slow evaporation and long-lasting effect.
Camphor vapor is toxic or repellent to insects such as clothes moths, cockroaches, and mosquitoes, and can protect clothing, specimens, and collections from insect damage. Its aroma is highly irritating to humans and even more so to insects.
D-camphor's rigid chiral bicyclic skeleton is sulfonated to produce camphor sulfonic acid (a chiral resolving agent and chiral catalyst), and oxidized to produce camphor quinone (a photoinitiator). Chiral information is transferred from camphor to downstream fine chemicals, making it an important natural chiral source.
The D-camphor scent is a combination of different fragrance notes like camphor, mint, phenols, herbs, wood, medicinal, coolness and green. It is more complex and richer than the levorotatory form, offering fragrances with a refreshing top note, herbal base and penetrating power. It is a characteristic fragrant component of cool herbal formulas.
To summarize, D-camphor is a versatile terpenoid chemical that can be used for a variety of applications, from celluloid to mentholatum and from mothballs to perfumes. It is used for plastics, daily necessities, metal protection, fine chemicals, dental materials, fragrances, food, religious and folk products. Its sublimation volatilization, irritant properties, chiral skeleton and complex fragrance.
Application Field: Nitrocellulose Processing & Plastics Industry
Corresponding Products: Celluloid sheets and plates; celluloid table tennis balls, eyeglass frames, combs and toys; nitrocellulose varnish and film plasticizers; plasticizer ingredients for coatings and adhesives
Applicability Principle: Camphor is compatible with nitrocellulose. It penetrates between polymer chains and reduces the glass transition temperature, rendering nitrocellulose soft and malleable. It serves as the key plasticizer for celluloid production (the world’s first thermoplastic), and is also used for flexibility modification of nitrocellulose varnishes. It is one of the most important natural plasticizers in plastics industry history.
Application Field: Topical Anti-itch Preparations
Corresponding Products: Menthol balm, medicated oil, camphor tincture, camphor liniment, shidishui (ten drops of water), anti-pruritic cream, steam inhalers
Applicability Principle: After skin absorption, camphor stimulates heat/cold-sensitive nerve endings and creates warming or cooling sensations. It exerts an anti-irritant effect and relieves itching caused by insect bites and skin irritation.
Application Field: Daily Hygiene & Warehouse Protection
Corresponding Products: Natural camphor balls (naphthalene mothball alternatives), wardrobe mothproof sheets, cockroach repellent blocks, mosquito repellent and camphor fumigant, insect repellent for biological specimens, warehouse insect repellents
Applicability Principle: D-camphor sublimes at room temperature and generates stable vapor toxic or repellent to clothes moths, cockroaches and mosquitoes. It acts as a safer alternative to naphthalene / para-dichlorobenzene mothballs. Its eco-friendly fumigation properties are also applied for red imported fire ant control and specimen preservation.
Application Field: Tool Maintenance & Metal Protection
Corresponding Products: Rust-proof blocks for toolboxes, rust-proof sheets for drawers, rust-proof packaging for hardware tools, rust inhibitors for machine tool guideways
Applicability Principle: Within closed spaces, camphor sublimes slowly and forms a micro protective film on metal surfaces. This film isolates moisture and oxygen to prevent corrosion, delivering continuous rust protection for roughly 6–12 months. It is a traditional, low-cost and effective anti-rust solution for metal tools.
Application Field: Specialty Chemicals & Chiral Chemistry
Corresponding Products: 10-Camphorsulfonic acid (CSA), camphorsulfonic acid chiral resolving agents, chiral catalysts, pesticide synthesis auxiliaries
Applicability Principle: Sulfonation of D-camphor yields camphorsulfonic acid with a rigid chiral framework. It can be used as a chiral resolving reagent to separate racemic mixtures and as a chiral acid catalyst for asymmetric synthesis, transferring D-camphor’s natural chiral information to fine chemical products.
Application Field: Dental Materials & Radiation Curing
Corresponding Products: Camphorquinone (CQ) photoinitiator, dental UV-curable composite resins, initiation systems for UV-curable coatings and inks
Applicability Principle: D-Camphor can be oxidized to camphorquinone. Camphorquinone undergoes photoactivation under blue light (approx. 468 nm) via hydrogen abstraction to generate free radicals and initiate resin polymerization. It is the classic photoinitiator for dental UV-curable composite resins and is also used in UV-curable coatings and inks.
Application Field: Perfume & Fragrance Creation
Corresponding Products: Cool herbal perfumes, colognes, men's eau de toilette, sports fragrances, herbal fragrances
Applicability Principle: D-camphor’s complex camphor-menthol-woody-herbal character creates fresh, penetrating cool top notes. Its volatility and diffusion quickly lift top notes and synergize with lavender, rosemary and mint to build a natural fresh herbal atmosphere. It is a classic raw material for cool herbal perfume formulas.
Application Field: Personal care and grooming for Men
Corresponding Products: Aftershave, aftershave lotion, shaving foam/gel, men's face & body wash, sports deodorant, etc.
Applicability Principle:Camphor has a cool herbal scent and also stimulates the nerve endings of the skin to give a cooling sensation, which calms the burning sensation after shaving. It provides a dual sensation of “fragrance + coolness” which is a traditional source of coolness sensation in aftershave products.
Application Field: Household cleaning and personal care products
Corresponding Products: Cooling shower gels, herbal soaps, peppermint shampoos, fragrance additives for laundry detergent/fabric softener, kitchen cleaner fragrances, floor cleaner fragrances
Applicability Principle: Camphor provides a fresh, herbal scent to personal care and cleaning products for a clean, refreshing sensory experience. Its smell is dispersed quite a lot during cleaning and has a pleasant lingering fragrance, making it a common ingredient in “cool/herbal/forest” fragrance formulations.
Application Field: Air Care & Fragrance
Corresponding Products: Scented candles, incense sticks or coils, air fresheners, essential oils and diffusers
Applicability Principle: Camphor readily sublimes and releases fragrance slowly and continuously, delivering long-lasting cool herbal aroma for fragrance goods. Its clean refreshing smell is ideal for building a fresh indoor atmosphere and it serves as a key ingredient in air freshener and home fragrance formulations.
Application Field: Food Flavorings
Corresponding Products: Cooling candy flavors, traditional dessert flavors (South Indian camphor-flavored desserts), ice cream and frozen dessert flavors, herbal beverage flavors
Applicability Principle: Trace amounts of camphor provide a cooling, spicy and herbal flavor profile (FEMA 2231). It adds unique flavor characteristics to traditional desserts and cooling candies. The dosage must be strictly controlled and comply with food additive regulatory requirements.
Application Field: Fragrance Manufacturing
Corresponding Products: Borneol, isoborneol, isoborneol acetate, borneol aldehyde, camphorene
Applicability Principle: The carbonyl group of D-camphor can be reduced to isoborneol or borneol, and can undergo enolization condensation to form camphorene compounds. It is an important raw material for synthesizing terpenoid fragrances such as borneol. Its derivatives are widely used in cooling fragrance formulas.
To summarize, D-camphor （C10H16O, CAS 464-49-3, FEMA 2231) is a versatile terpenoid chemical with a broad range of applications, from celluloid and mentholatum to mothballs and perfumes. Leveraging its easy sublimation and volatility, stimulant properties, chiral ketone skeleton and complex aroma, it has mature applications across multiple sectors: celluloid plasticizers, topical pharmaceutical formulations, moth and insect repellents, metal rust prevention, camphorsulfonic acid and chiral fine chemicals, camphorquinone photoinitiators, perfume blending, men’s grooming products, household cleaning fragrances, home air fresheners, food flavorings, and camphor derivative synthesis. Camphorsulfonic acid and camphorquinone represent important high-end fine chemical and dental material derivative directions.
