Chemistry of Candles Powerpoint

1. BY DAVID FLOYD

2. 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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3. 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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content/uploads/2013/12/Macromolecules-for-AP-
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4. MANY USES OF CANDLES
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content/uploads/2013/11/def9fc951b95bf5391c3068948
• 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.

5. 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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mages/Candle_Wicks.jpg

6. The Wax of a Candle
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content/uploads/2011/01/melting-
candles-300x225.jpg
• 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).

7. 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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8. 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>.