Naphthalene — production and uses

Naphthalene was first isolated from coal tar in 1819 by Alexander Garden; it represents about 10% of this complex mixture of aromatics. The industrial importance of naphthalene dates from the latter half of the last century, owing mainly to the ease with which it can be converted into sulfonic acids and thence also to the naphthols, for use as dyestuffs intermediates. However, the first synthetic naphthalene-based dye was a nitro-derivative, Martius Yellow (Acid Yellow 24), which was patented in 1864 by Carl Alexander Martius.