A volatile liquid mixture or pure compound derived from camphene, historically used as a lamp fuel or solvent in the 19th century.
From 'camphene' with suffix variation (the '-ine' suffix sometimes indicates organic compounds, especially alkaloids and volatile substances). The term was common in 19th-century chemistry and commerce.
Camphine was actually a commercial product in the 1800s—it was sold as a cleaner and lamp fuel before kerosene was invented, and it was so flammable that camphine lamps sometimes exploded, which actually accelerated the adoption of safer oil lamps. Market forces and safety concerns shaped industrial chemistry.
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