What does naphthalene mean?
Naphthalene is a solid aromatic hydrocarbon, best known as the chemical associated with traditional mothballs. Its distinctive smell helps repel clothes moths, and it is also used as an intermediate in producing dyes, resins, plastics, and other chemicals. In technical and public-health contexts, the word is associated with exposure, poisoning, and the breakdown of red blood cells after substantial inhalation or ingestion. Although the term is chemically precise, ordinary speakers often encounter it through the phrase “mothballs” or through warnings about chemical exposure. Knowing that naphthalene is the chemical behind those familiar products makes the word useful both for understanding household safety information and for recognizing its role in industrial chemistry.
nounA white, volatile aromatic hydrocarbon (C10H8) that occurs as a solid under ordinary conditions. It is used in the manufacture of mothballs, certain dyes, plastics, and other chemical products.
- A white crystalline aromatic hydrocarbon, C10H8, used in chemical manufacture and traditionally sold in mothballs.
"The old chest contained several balls of naphthalene, which released a strong, distinctive smell."
"Naphthalene exposure can cause headache, nausea, and hemolytic anemia in humans."
"The laboratory used naphthalene as a starting material in the synthesis of a larger aromatic compound."
Usually used when referring to multiple molecules, samples, or chemical substances; singular 'naphthalene' is standard for the compound.
"The researchers analyzed several naphthalenes in the contaminated soil."
Naphthalene gives mothballs their familiar pungent odor, but the same chemical that once protected stored clothing can pose serious health risks when inhaled in large amounts.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does naphthalene come from?
Naphthalene was named in the early 19th century in connection with naphtha, a group of flammable petroleum-derived hydrocarbons. The name combines that root with the chemical suffix -ene, reflecting its status as an unsaturated hydrocarbon. It later became closely associated with moth-repellent products because of its volatility and insect-repellent properties.
How naphthalene is actually used
The term is primarily technical or industrial. In everyday contexts, people may refer to naphthalene-containing products as mothballs, though the individual pellets are not always made entirely from naphthalene.
Easily confused with naphthalene
Naphthalene is the parent aromatic hydrocarbon, whereas naphthol is a related phenolic compound and is not the same substance.