Camphor is a solid ketone, obtained from the volatile oil of Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Nees et Eber, belonging to family Lauraceae. Synthetic camphor, which is optically inactive, is prepared from turpentine and would probably have completely replaced the natural product.
CAMPHOR
Synonyms
Gum Camphor, Japan Camphor.
Biological Source
Camphor is a solid ketone, obtained from the volatile oil of
Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Nees et
Eber, belonging to family Lauraceae. Synthetic camphor, which is optically
inactive, is prepared from turpentine and would probably have completely
replaced the natural product.
Geographical Source
The plant is a big tree native to Eastern Asia, It is found
widely in Mediterranean region, Sri Lanka, Egypt, South Africa, Java, Sumatra,
Brazil, Jamaica, Florida, Formosa, Japan, South China, India, and California.
In India, the tree is planted in gardens up to 1,300 m height in the North-west
Himalayas. It is successfully cultivated at Dehradun, Saharanpur, Calcutta,
Nilgiris, and Mysore.
Preparation
Old trees possess high concentration of Camphor. The small
wood chips are treated with steam. Camphor is sublimed and liquid volatile oil
passed away into the receiver. Excess of Camphor is obtained from the volatile
oil. Camphor is purified by treating it with lime and charcoal and resublimation
into large chambers to form flowers of camphor. The collected Camphor is made
into blocks by hydraulic pressure.
The specific rotation of natural camphor is +41° to +43°.
The synthetic camphor is optically inactive.
Characteristics
Natural Camphor is colourless translucent mass with
crys-talline fracture, rhombohedral crystals from alcohol, cubic crystals
by-melting and chilling. Odour is characteristic, and taste is pungent and
aromatic which is followed by cold sensation. It evaporates at room temperature
and pressure, m.p. 180°, very volatile in steam. At 25°, 1 g dissolves in about
800 ml water (giving a colloidal solution), in 1 ml alcohol, 1 ml ether, 0.5 ml
chloroform, 0.4 ml benzene, 0.4 ml acetone, 1.5 ml of turpentine oil, and 0.5
ml glacial acetic acid. Camphor has a peculiar tenacity and cannot be powdered
in a mortar unless it is moistened with an organic solvent.
Chemical Constituents
Camphor oil contains camphor, cineole, pinene, camphene,
phellandrene, limonene, and diterpenes. Camphor is entirely a monoterpenic
ketone. Its basic carbon framework is related to bofneol.
Uses
Camphor is used externally as a rubefacient, counterirritant
and internally as a stimulant, carminative and antiseptic. It is a topical
antipruritic and antiinfective, used as 1–3% in skin medicaments and in
cosmetic. It is also used to manufacture some plastics, celluloid, in lacquers,
var-nishes, explosives, pyrotechnics, as moth repellent, and in embalming
fluids.
Allied drugs
Borneo camphor, obtained from Dryobalanops aromatica (Dipterocarpaceae), and Ngai camphor,
obtained from Blumea balsamifera (Asteraceae),
are used in China and Japan. In
California levorotatory camphor is produced from species of Artemisia (Asteraceae).
Marketed Products
It is one of the ingredients of the preparations known as
Ophthacare, Pilex, Rumalaya (Himalaya Drug Company) and Dabur balm (Dabur).
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