Why do candles burn?

[@Henry-ep6qy]

When he said “we could put you on a scale” I thought for sure he was going to say “And light you on fire”. Then he said “and let you breathe” I was like ah yea that makes way more sense.

[@cob571]

I will breathe for science!

[@TheEedis]

Same, lol

[@vasavisuma]

😂😅 i thought the same thing.

[@CardiCSportsCards]

My wife and I just watched this at dinner during quarantine when a candle went out. Thank you for teaching us how candles work! I was “blown away” that the candle is actually burning gas!

[@christianalexandermarion]

isn't it so insane, 7 years after it was made, we ended up here around the same time! all on the whim of watching candles burn and wondering...what's happening on the atomic level! Stay safe

[@mohamedeldin4996]

I really need to start studying

[@shanew6738]

Or maybe you're taking the wrong test

[@GERMANFORLIFEMEL]

Me too

[@jaydeerezvani6069]

im so high i had to look this up

[@gme3471]

This was the best presentation on candles I've seen thus far. I've been looking at videos for days! Thank you for the digestible presentation.

[@Bozemanscience1]

Thanks Alex. I was surprised at how fast the mass was lost. I am loving the new DSLR. Very fun.

[@saniaarshad7916]

Ooo

[@SkytheKorok]

So long story short, when you burn a candle a combustion reaction happens turning the paraffin (wax) into C02 and H20, the wax basically turns into gas which is what you smell when you burn that nice smelling candle from Yankee Candle.

[@noahriding5780]

But why does only the gas around the wick burn in a small bulb and not a wide area of flame covering the whole top of the candle? Is there no attribute with some of the gas or liquid wax soaking into the wick?

[@SydneyIFox]

SkytheKorok you don’t smell the gas you smell the fragrance being distributed in the air

[@josephchen2420]

But where did the H20 went?

[@Beez-go-buzz]

@@josephchen2420 the water evaporates due to heat of the candle

[@thetrailhunter4469]

Sick video. Was looking at my candle and wondering: "Where does the wax go? Does it evaporate and fall all over my office?"

[@MrAndrew778899]

hey man.......you are really a great teacher.... i want to be like you... i want to learn something and explain it clearly to others....

[@HoneyGaming_]

What I got from this is if I breathe a lot I’ll loss weight *begins to hyperventilate*

[@BigFella88]

That shit is so LIT

[@ozkid6791]

🔥🔥🔥

[@1997AlexB]

this was very interesting

[@SybilGrace]

Thank you so much for this! I'm just starting to study organic chemistry and I was looking at my candle and thinking ... what's going on here? Your video was extremely enlightening. Ty so much!

[@ObjectiSkeptic]

Very enlightening

[@easterdm]

GENIUS!

[@ayeyebrazorf7527]

The typical smell that all candles (scented or not) emit when they are lit off, is the smell of wax gas? even in the scented candles where there must be more than CO2 and water during the combustion?

[@rekapeace6936]

This was very interesting! I love candles! I was wondering where they go :) how do scented candles work?

[@gablabouel9290]

Questions that keep me awake at night were answered today. Good night

[@AlexDainisPhD]

Very cool - I love the candle on the balance!

[@soumitasmakeover5632]

Very nice explanation sir.

[@ashisalive5512]

Thank you very much,Sir!

[@akanetendo8340]

Thank you for you time!!!

[@aamirghanchi9487]

Thank you. I was hoping to hear the purpose of the thread/wick. What role does it play? Is there an alternative material that can be used for the same purpose?

[@candercury]

the wax is only flammable when it’s in its gaseous state. the burning wick melts the wax, absorbs that melted wax and rises it up into the flame so it can evaporate and turn into a gas!

[@candercury]

and yes there are others materials than can be used, for example many people use wood wicks

[@itsjptotheworld]

@@candercury the wax vapour is what burns but does the candle wick burn as well?

[@krazyking424]

Great vid! Nice bit about the rising heat and the round flame on a space shuttle, I never knew about that! I'd say anyone who really enjoyed this should also check out the periodicvideos vid, called Candles at Halloween. It has a nice slow-mo of the flame 'jump'

[@digiconvalley]

pretty interesting.. thank you sir!

[@JpOtto]

Great Video thanx, exactly what I wanted to know.

[@omichelle15]

I wish you were my biology teacher!!!!! :) I love all your videos! They are really great help! :)

[@Peter-ue4iz]

still didn't explain what the wick is for. why cant it burn without the wick?

[@candercury]

because the wax will only burn in its gaseous state! the burning wick melts the wax, absorbs it and rises it up into the fire so it can evaporate(turn into a gas)

[@Mopperty]

Good vid, i remember many years ago my primary school teacher could not explain this to me very well when i asked. lol. So re: capturing the products of the candle and getting CO2 and H20, could you drink that water to prolong life in an emergency situation??

[@alexrosellverges8345]

Hi sir, awesome video as usual, thanks! I still have a question though. I don't understand what you mean with "the energy is in the bonds". How can sharing store energy? The only i could come up with is that in the redox reaction, electrons lose energy and thus emit photons, but i don't know whether that's true. Could you please answer? Thank you anyway!

[@McNoodle28]

Great vid. Thanks

[@carolinegramith3411]

There are 2 types of people in this world, and those 2 types of people can be found in the comment section of this video.

[@Mohamed_El-derderi]

Thanks for the great information, I just wonder, about the candle being lit in a space shuttle, doesn't it need oxygen for fire to lit? or you're just giving a hypothetical example ....

[@gablabouel9290]

Yea it needs oxigen. There isnt any in space, but their is some in the space shuttle.

[@emlmm88]

Very good. Will you do a video about drugs replacing, blocking, and redistributing neurotransmitters? I find that stuff fascinating! Also talk about neurotoxins!

[@itsjptotheworld]

the wax vapour is what burns but does the candle wick burn as well?

[@8Kexperience]

so it is co2 and h2o which traps bad smells from our rooms? or its other chemicals which are added in candles for this purpose?

[@TheKrikje010]

What does determine the length of the burning candle wick. Something something capillary flow (gram of parafin/s) and cooling of the wick.

[@mrplimp922]

I learned this in science basicly how it keeps lit so the flame burns wid and it also melts the wax

[@lants8096]

How’d they figure this out so long ago

[@brendaandrade7125]

its nice how candle can brn slowly and lost mass pretty fast , however the candle at some point will stop burning. the flame will be gone and so why the sun never stops burning??? and doesnt desapear like a candle?

[@CandieLand_72]

Omg...smh Take an Astronomy class...

[@LostInLeiden]

Really nice video, thanks!

[@rparamban]

What is the purpose of the wick in the candle and why does it burn out only slowly?

[@Sithwarl0ck]

Why is the flame centered if the gas from the paraffin is all around the candle. Is the wick used as a collecting point for the gas? Or is the gas attracted to the point where the flame starts? Sorry I'm kind of dumb

[@davidthormodsgard4176]

The paraffin exists as a solid at room temperature, and is what you call the wax. When you heat the wax it turns into a liquid and then a gas, which is what then burns. So there isn't paraffin gas shrouding the candle, only where it is hot.

[@hippiemuslim]

There is not enough water to use and it is usually a mix of smoke and water. Also, I think you could get more water from air itself than burning a candle.

[@DiegoPerez-ee5rw]

What prevents the wick to get burnt faster, i.e., why does it burn slowly and not like a piece of paper that will vanish in an instant?

[@candercury]

because the wax “protects” it and slows down the burn of the cotton!

[@-18]

Hello. Good video ;) Question: How big can a functional candle be? There is a Guinness record for the largest candle in the world and for a time it was held by The Peace Candle of the World (Scappoose Peace Candle) which is about 50-foot-tall (15 m), but it does not appear to have ever been lit (and I have not read that this has happened at least to demonstrate that it works at the time of demonstrating the record). My question is not simply idle, a candle can be lit for many hours consuming very few materials at least compared to a campfire with wood. So, could a candle be made large enough so that its flame is the size of a campfire flame? Is it possible or a candle only works well on a small scale?

[@majo100298]

why only the part with fire is the straw and not all over that like pool of paraffin?It also has gas

[@santoshburud]

Hi Andersen , your videos and explanations are really amazing. Thank you so much would appreciate if you could make a video and explain exact benefit for our brain and nervous system while we practice MEDITATION. Sorry this question not related to science.

[@josephchen2420]

Where did the water go when you combust the hydrocarbon?

[@rocks813]

Evaporates.

[@blackdedo93]

awesome Thanks

[@vasilii6417]

Basically, this video was quite interesting! 🙂😁

[@treasuremaker5809]

so it's the wax that's burning?

[@yatagarasu9274]

You're quite smart sir

[@ozkid6791]

Fucking so hectic man

[@axbuik3677]

Gees Stahp hating

[@granger5994]

omg thanks for making this video

[@FezCaliph]

How many times does he say candle?

[@MrErichonda30]

How about earwax candling?

[@thomaslance9447]

✍️people✍️are✍️candles✍️

[@YoutuwbeJunkie]

good vid!!!

[@yashvardhanchaudhry9828]

Thanks helped

[@leonidmilman]

The space shuttle has huge oxygen reservoirs that release the gas over time.

[@shekhargoudabharamreddy3024]

wax can be obtained from nature for eg honey hive

[@MasonMallak]

shekhargouda bharamreddy or my ear

[@azizzz.g]

Why does candle always poop when we sit down

[@racquelsabesaje4562]

energy strong not weak

[@bobbyavitia]

Interesting

[@baroonono]

yay

[@Phaze252]

No it's not @ridchardb2837 Yes, but it's a well established scientific theory that hasn't been replaced with a better model yet.

[@RaymondIsiah]

Sitting here looking at my candle and I found this video. 🤔

[@Unlyricallyrics]

it will but sun has like trillion times more mass than a candle so it burns tad longer.

[@blakemihata2285]

Does this bring anyone back to there first day of chemistry class

[@squidcultist0022]

Neat

[@brendaandrade7125]

maybe you can made a video explaining to me a lit bt better.... or something :) love your videos...

[@rooshanaezeeshan432]

good comment but its mabye you make

[@pauljackson1975]

The first guy to figure out the gag candle must have lost his mind with excitement

[@racquelsabesaje4562]

candles light by means of match

[@emilioj22]

I’m so shitty at chemistry I could not comprehend this a few months ago as my first college Chem experiment. I dropped out realizing STEM is not my thing... I was a veterinary nursing student. I lasted 3 weeks. also for mental health crap but still. I’m not smart. I thought if I asked for the help I need and study as much as I need to I’d understand it but it just doesn’t click with my brain. So that’s the long story about why I clicked this video. Like anyone cares lol

[@mattdenihan5653]

E=mc2

[@ozkid6791]

I wanna play with ur candle ;)

[@bruhsprinkles5490]

wtf dude

[@hagfish_]

After watching the video, I understand less than I thought I did before the video. Which is progress I guess? But painful, confusing progress.

[@txtomlong]

"flame jumps down there"...nope...didn't the flame "jump" "up"?

[@amitnagpal1985]

I just passed some gas.

[@DannyKeeley]

light it

[@jayb.8460]

"Hydrogen around thee outside around thee outside"... Eminem voice.

[@itspop4real272]

how u not verified

[@seraphyna6632]

Pyromaniac much? Can relate. Good Science.

[@shelbyhosey9374]

The mass goes to oxygen

[@nbaspinna8906]

that's a bit sus!!! (Amongus, LOL!!!!)

[@axbuik3677]

C30 h 69 hehe

[@dlbattle100]

That would have to be C34 H69

[@lopolo5361]

@@dlbattle100 if you had 34 carbons you would end up with 70 hydrogens

[@ian-hm6cx]

nice

[@lemmegetuhh362]

I’m lonely and depraved

[@FreakHarryPotter]

What's a candle and why does it... what's the word? Buuuuuuuurn?

[@ansontam5908]

This video is shown in science lesson....

[@snazzbleeargh8740]

james fairbairn same

[@jackwase]

hahaha james fairbairn

[@izakjames3936]

james fairbairn too good

[@TheEedis]

Can you be my teacher?

[@richardb2837]

E=mc2 is a theory

[@TheNamesBaka]

a tip for all really fat people breathe in and breath out, your welcome (:

[@samrusoff]

Great informative video, but pedantically he does a bad job dismissing the idea that the fuel of the combustion reaction "burns up" or "gets converted to energy". A better explanation would point out that yes, the combustion reaction does produce heat and light, but that's not because the matter is consumed, it's because the matter is changed into different molecules. Also just terrible to just say flat out that matter and energy cannot be changed into each other. Yes, it's rare, but don't spread misinformation!

[@BanditFoxx]

Imagine if candles actually did release their mass as energy... Oh, wait, *THAT’S A NUCLEAR REACTION!*

[@johnblaze8774]

No one is like you. We just want to know how the wik doesn't burn out

[@DrJESSE99]

"Mass can't be converted to energy." what about an engine? it uses a mass (gasoline or even coal for an old train) and converts it through combustion to produce energy and force.

[@RobertGers-hs7gx]

It doesn't. It's the same principle as the candle. If you were to collect all the exhaust gases, the mass would be the same. It just uses the potential energy from the bonds between atoms to create energy.

[@BoberJr]

LOL e=mc2 joke hahah.

[@divinefeminineiamastrongwo4377]

Thanks for the video