Overview
Camphor is a waxy, colourless solid with a strong, distinctive aroma. It is derived chiefly from the wood of the camphor laurel (Cinnamomum camphora), a large evergreen tree found in East Asia, and from the kapur tree (Dryobalanops sp.), a tall timber tree of South East Asia. Chemically, it is classified as a terpenoid and a cyclic ketone.
The compound also occurs in some other related trees in the laurel family, notably Ocotea usambarensis. Rosemary leaves (Rosmarinus officinalis) contain about 0.05 to 0.5% camphor, while camphorweed (Heterotheca) contains around 5%. A major source of camphor in Asia is camphor basil, the parent of African blue basil. Camphor can also be produced synthetically from oil of turpentine.
Camphor is chiral and exists as two enantiomers. The naturally occurring form is typically (+)-camphor, or (1R,4R)-bornan-2-one, while its mirror image, (−)-camphor or (1S,4S)-bornan-2-one, is very rare in nature. Although camphor has few modern uses, it is of historic significance as a compound that could be readily purified from natural sources.
References
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article on Camphor.