Free shipping on orders over $199       imaget3joa.png

Order early for pre-holiday delivery. Flinn (or Educational Innovations) will be closed December 24th, 2025,
through January 4th, 2026, reopening Monday, January 5th, 2026.
Orders received after 10:30 AM Central Time on Tuesday, December 23rd, 2025, will ship after we return. 

FLINN
Your Safer Source for Science
PAVO
All-In-One Science Solution
Your Safer Source for Science
;
Address P.O. Box 219 Batavia, IL 60510
Phone 800-452-1261
Fax
Email [email protected]

Wax Vapor Combustion in a Test Tube

firewatch

Publication 91610

Price: FREE

Learn more about downloading digital content

A typical candle is made up of wax and a wick. As the wick burns, the heat melts the wax, and the liquid is “wicked up” where the heat of the flame vaporizes it. The wax vapor reacts with oxygen in the air, and this reaction gives off heat and light. The cycle continues as more wax is melted from the heat of the combustion reaction, wicked up, and vaporized. Is it possible to burn a candle without a wick?