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Wax Vapor Combustion in a Test Tube

firewatch

Publication 91610

Price: FREE

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?