Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Mothballs - what is available where you live?

valeg96 - 7-10-2021 at 06:02

Just a curiosity, mainly.

Mothballs here in Italy are nowadays only camphor-based, but they used to be made of pure naphthalene or pure p-dichlorobenzene back in the 1990s, at most with a 2-10% MgSO4.

Napthalene is still rather easy to find around, while p-dichlorobenzene is out. Camphor is, sadly, one of the most useless organics around the house.

What is available/allowed in your country?

Texium - 7-10-2021 at 06:14

Last time I checked, napthalene and p-dichlorobenzene were available side by side on store shelves here. I still have some of the napthalene ones that I bought years ago.

valeg96 - 7-10-2021 at 06:23

Well now I know what to ask my SS should they be from the US... :o :D

woelen - 7-10-2021 at 06:41

Here I only could find p-dichlorobenzene. Never saw naphtalene, nor camphor-based ones.

Oxy - 7-10-2021 at 06:42

Actually camphore might be not as useless as it looks. Vogel (not only but also physical chemistry textbooks) describes how it might be use for finding approx. molar mass of pure compound. Definitely not LC/MS but from time to time it might be a fun.

This kind of old techniques might be very handy for a home lab.

Jenks - 7-10-2021 at 10:32

I only see p-dichlorobenzene moth balls in the US and thought naphthalene was banned due to the cancer risk from their vapor. When I look on ebay, almost all the naphthalene moth balls are shipping from Sri Lanka.

Texium - 7-10-2021 at 19:42

Quote: Originally posted by Jenks  
I only see p-dichlorobenzene moth balls in the US and thought naphthalene was banned due to the cancer risk from their vapor. When I look on ebay, almost all the naphthalene moth balls are shipping from Sri Lanka.
Well, I bought some naphthalene mothballs at a Walmart in Texas. That was probably in 2015 or 2016 though. Can’t say for certain if they still sell them now.

fredsci93 - 8-10-2021 at 00:08

Naphthalene moth balls got banned for being an ingestion hazard here. However, the funny thing about naphthalene mothballs being banned where I live is that as they were phased out people just started selling 98% pure naphthalene as "cat repellent crystals" instead, which are totally legal for some reason.

draculic acid69 - 8-10-2021 at 02:18

Quote: Originally posted by fredsci93  
Naphthalene moth balls got banned for being an ingestion hazard here. However, the funny thing about naphthalene mothballs being banned where I live is that as they were phased out people just started selling 98% pure naphthalene as "cat repellent crystals" instead, which are totally legal for some reason.


Bcoz when used to repel cats it's not a risk to a child/baby the way a blanket covered in napthalene is.appareny children have died from having napthalene covered blankets placed on them. It's very toxic to children.

Fyndium - 8-10-2021 at 07:49

I find it surprising that they would be allowed for consumer sales at any level if they are deemed hazardous. We are living in a society that bans stuff that might be harmful, after all.

Texium - 8-10-2021 at 08:24

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Enoz-Old-Fashioned-Moth-Balls-Nap...

Still available at Walmart

valeg96 - 8-10-2021 at 11:27

They are banned in Italy as mothballs but they can still be found in some specialized shops that sell it as specialist biocides for wood restoration and such activities. This year I received a large amount of naphthalene from different sources and had to gift it away so that's where the question came from. But now I really want some p-dichlorobenzene mothballs :P I remember my grandma used them in the 1990s but by the time I got into chemistry they were banned and I could only find the empty bags

macckone - 8-10-2021 at 12:06

Colorado, enzo old-fashioned mothballs, 99.95% napthalene.
I have not seen camphor or p-dichlorobenzene.

Jenks - 8-10-2021 at 12:39

Quote: Originally posted by Texium  
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Enoz-Old-Fashioned-Moth-Balls-Nap...

Still available at Walmart

I guess I was wrong and should have shopped harder. This is a good deal.

arkoma - 8-10-2021 at 12:52

p-dichlorobenzene at Dollar General

Kobold vor NH4 - 8-10-2021 at 20:14

Over here in Australia we have pure Camphor and not as pure Naphthalene moth balls at good old Bunnings. I haven't seen any of the p-dichlorobenzene version anywhere though.

[Edited on 9-10-2021 by Kobold vor NH4]

violet sin - 8-10-2021 at 21:22

had to order from an out of state supplier, a while back when I wanted naphthalene mothballs. California is super weird about random stuff. It wasn't hard or expensive though, to grab a small box for the shelf. Never doing anything with it, was probably the most expensive part.

p-dichlorobenzene is everywhere, last I checked.

draculic acid69 - 8-10-2021 at 23:48

Quote: Originally posted by Fyndium  
I find it surprising that they would be allowed for consumer sales at any level if they are deemed hazardous. We are living in a society that bans stuff that might be harmful, after all.


Cigarettes and alcohol are available on every single street in 99% of the world yet marijuana is still labelled a dangerous drug with no medical value whatsoever.
Common sense isn't common when it comes to things like this

draculic acid69 - 8-10-2021 at 23:51

Quote: Originally posted by Kobold vor NH4  
Over here in Australia we have pure Camphor and not as pure Naphthalene moth balls at good old Bunnings. I haven't seen any of the p-dichlorobenzene version anywhere though.

[Edited on 9-10-2021 by Kobold vor NH4]


I've found most mothballs to be p-diclorobenzene and only at one shop did I find napthalene.havent looked in about 5yrs though.