Camphor vs. Mothball — What's the Difference?

Used as a plasticizer in manufacturing.

A small ball used to protect clothes from moths.

A white, crystalline substance with aromatic properties.

Contains chemical pesticides.

Has spiritual significance in certain religious rituals.

Toxic when ingested.

Employed in traditional medicine.

To remove (a ship, for example) from active service or use and put into protective storage.

Camphor () is a waxy, flammable, transparent solid with a strong aroma. It is a terpenoid with the chemical formula C10H16O. It is found in the wood of the camphor laurel (Cinnamomum camphora), a large evergreen tree found in East Asia; and in the related kapur tree (Dryobalanops sp.), a tall timber tree from South East Asia.

Can be used as a verb to mean "put into storage."

A fragrant white or colorless crystalline ketone, C10H16O, obtained naturally from the wood of the camphor tree or synthesized from pinene and used as an insect repellent, in the manufacture of film, plastics, lacquers, and in medicine chiefly in external preparations to relieve mild pain and itching.

Mothballs are small balls of chemical pesticide and deodorant, sometimes used when storing clothing and other articles susceptible to damage from mold or moth larvae (especially clothes moths like Tineola bisselliella).

(organic compound) A white transparent waxy crystalline isoprenoid ketone, 1,7,7-trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-2-one, with a strong pungent odour, used in pharmacy.

A marble-sized ball, originally of camphor but now of naphthalene, stored with clothes to repel moths.

A tough, white, aromatic resin, or gum, obtained from different species of the Laurus family, esp. from Cinnamomum camphara (the Laurus camphora of Linnæus.). Camphor, C10H16O, is volatile and fragrant, and is used in medicine as a diaphoretic, a stimulant, or sedative.

A condition of long storage for possible future use

Originally, a gum resembling ordinary camphor, obtained from a tree (Dryobalanops aromatica formerly Dryobalanops camphora) growing in Sumatra and Borneo; now applied to its main constituent, a terpene alcohol obtainable as a white solid C10H18O, called also Borneo camphor, Malay camphor, Malayan camphor, camphor of Borneo, Sumatra camphor, bornyl alcohol, camphol, and borneol. The isomer from Dryobalanops is dextrorotatory; the levoratatory form is obtainable from other species of plants, and the racemic mixture may be obtained by reduction of camphor. It is used in perfumery, and for manufacture of its esters. See Borneol.

A condition of being set aside or discarded

To impregnate or wash with camphor; to camphorate.

To defer indefinitely; shelve

A resin obtained from the camphor tree; used in making celluloid and liniment

A small ball of chemical pesticide (typically naphthalene) and deodorant placed in or around clothing and other articles susceptible to damage from mold or moth larvae in order to protect them from this damage.

Acts as a flavoring agent.

(transitive) To store or shelve something no longer used.

To stop using (something), but keep it in good condition.

A small sphere of camphor or naphthalene used to keep moths away from stored clothing.

To put into long-term storage; as, to mothball the battleships not needed after the war.

A small sphere of camphor or naphthalene used to keep moths away from stored clothing

Put into long-term storage

Emanates a strong, chemical smell.

Though both may repel moths, they have different primary uses and safety profiles.

Camphor is used in medicine, flavoring, and religious rituals.

Camphor should not be ingested as it can be toxic.

Yes, they contain toxic chemicals like naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene.

It can be either; natural camphor is extracted from trees, and synthetic forms are also available.

Mothballs are used to protect clothes from moths.

Camphor is primarily used as a noun.

Yes, but in diluted form as it can cause irritation.

It is used sparingly in some culinary traditions but must be food-grade.

Camphor has a medicinal aroma, while mothballs have a strong, chemical smell.

Naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene.

Yes, as in "to mothball" something, meaning to put it into storage.

Yes, they can be flammable.

No, they are toxic and should be kept away from pets.

They are generally not recommended for outdoor use due to their toxicity.