As a chemist with a focus on combustion processes, I can explain what happens when a candle burns.

When you light the wick of a candle, the heat from the flame melts the wax near the wick. The melted wax is then drawn up the wick by capillary action. As the wax reaches the flame, it's heated to a temperature where it begins to vaporize. The gaseous wax then reacts with oxygen in the air in a process called combustion. This reaction produces heat, light, water vapor, and carbon dioxide.

The flame is primarily composed of carbon dioxide and water vapor, which are colorless, but the heat from the flame excites the molecules in the surrounding air, giving the flame its characteristic yellow color. The wax also contains impurities that can cause the flame to take on different colors when it burns.

The smoke you see is made up of tiny particles of carbon and other byproducts of the combustion process. It's important to note that incomplete combustion, which can occur if the wick is not properly trimmed or if the candle is not burning in an environment with enough oxygen, can produce soot and other pollutants.

In summary, the burning of a candle involves the melting of wax, vaporization, combustion with oxygen, and the production of heat, light, water vapor, carbon dioxide, and sometimes smoke.

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When you light a candle, the heat of the flame melts the wax near the wick. This liquid wax is then drawn up the wick by capillary action. The heat of the flame vaporizes the liquid wax (turns it into a hot gas), and starts to break down the hydrocarbons into molecules of hydrogen and carbon.read more >>