Para-dichlorobenzene is the principal molecule found in mothballs. We used to use naphthalene, but these days, we've switched. I suspect neither may be particularly healthy, and I suspect that you wouldn't have much luck getting such a product on the market these days, but mothballs have been around for ages.
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A quick announcement:
You may have heard that the very dangerous professor is putting his blog on mothballs so he can play more hockey.
There's a little squib in the New York Times today about the return of the Dawn mission to visit a couple of asteroids, one of t
How have I not known about this blog? This is the greatest thing EVAR. You sir are officially on my blogroll.
Your suspicions about the healthiness of para-dichlorobenzene would appear to be confirmed:
http://www.straightfromthedoc.com/50226711/mothballs_offer_teens_a_new_…
I think mothballs are still naphthalene - p-dichlorobenzene is sold as moth flakes, and is used by bee-keepers to keep the dreaded wax-moths from invading unattended honeycomb.
The New England Journal of Medicine (355;4, p.423, july 27 2006) article on the mothball sniffing/chewing specifically states that the mothballs involved do contain para-dichlorobenzene.