CHEMISTR

Y OF

CANDLES

BY DAVID FLOYD

REACTION IN A CANDLE

• The reaction that occurs in a candle is combustion.

• Combustion is a reaction in which a substance reacts

with oxygen to form water and carbon dioxide.

• The wick maintains a constant flame so that the

combustion reaction can continue (Rohrig 5-6).

• C25H52(g) + 38O2(g) → 25CO2(g) + 26H2O(g)

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CANDLE COMPOSITION• Hydrocarbons are present in all candle

waxes.

• All waxes used in candles are generally

composed of straight- chain alkanes .

• These alkanes include alcohol, ester, and

carboxylic acid chains (Roth 6).

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MANY USES OF CANDLES

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• Candles are used today mostly for decoration.

• Candles were one of the earliest forms of lighting.

• Candles are still used at formal events and relaxing settings to create

a warm sense of comfort.

• Candles can contain pleasant smelling fragrances that are released

during the burning of a candle.

The Wick of a Candle

A candle maintains a flame by having an

embedded wick in the wax.

The wick must be embedded in the candle so

that the wax can vaporize at a constant and

slow rate.

The candle wick is braided and coated with

flame retardant to make it burn slower.

Without the flame retardant methods, the wick

would very quickly burn out, causing the

combustion reaction to cease (Rohrig 5).

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The Wax of a Candle

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• Most of the earliest candles were made from

beeswax; however, the poor often burned

animal fat as candle wax, which did not work

very well (Roth 3).

• As the wick holds the flame, the wax melts and

vaporizes into a gas.

• Most candles candle waxes today are made of

paraffin.

• The melting point depends on the length of the

parent chain with its constituents.

• Paraffin comes from petroleum.

• Paraffin is naturally colorless and

transparent in its pure form (Roth

4).

The Flame of a Candle

• The oxygen is absorbed by the

flame at the bottom blue

section.

• The hottest part of the flame is

actually towards the top of the

flame.

• Candles often get up to 1400

degrees Celsius (Science of

Candles 2).

• You can put out a candle by

pinching the flame closest to

the wick without burning your

hand severely.

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Works Cited

Rohrig, Brian. "The Captivating Chemistry of Candles." ChemMatters (2007): 4-6. Print.

Roth, Klaus, Prof., ed. Chemistry of the Christmas Candle. Chemie in unsere Zeit/Wiley-VCH, 2 Nov. 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. <http://www.chemistryviews.org/details/ezine/1369631/Chemistry_of_the_Christmas_Candle__Part_1.html>.

"The Science of Candles." National Candle Association. National Candle Association, 2014. Web. 8 Apr. 2014. <http://www.candles.org/candlescience.html>.