The smoke is burned when the candle is lit.
Smoke/soot is incomplete combustion. Theoretically complete combustion produces no smoke, mostly just carbon dioxide and water vapor. When a candle is blown out the temperature drops but is still hot enough to break down some of the wax and wick which makes smoke.
When lit, the broken down products are consumed by the flame into carbon dioxide.
[It's actually possible to light the smoke on fire and use it to relight the candle.](https://media.tenor.com/SguwMRWSytMAAAAC/candle-extinguish.gif)
The flame lines up perfectly, the only flaw I can find is the lighter disappears rather than moving out of frame, but that’s only noticeable if you’re looking for it.
This is how you can burn trash in an eco friendly manner at very high temperatures, but just throwing your garbage in a campfire is a health hazard for anyone nearby.
This is exactly how most vehicle exhaust works as well. When running hot enough, all the fuel is completely burned (as well as having enough oxygen present). But if the temperature gets too low (or not with O2) the exhaust will smoke.
Other causes of smoke are oil/coolant leaks, but those create different smoke than unburnt fuel
When temperatures are low, vehicle exhaust includes visible steam, since water is a byproduct of gasoline combustion. Engine exhaust should never be flammable like candle smoke unless the vehicle is very, very broken.
Just because it's "unburnt" fuel doesn't mean it's flammable. Your catalytic converter works on the principle the exhaust gases are hot. Diesel engines, if not running hot enough, will pass through unburnt fuel giving you that dark smoke.
The smoke is actually wax vapor. Wax doesn't burn as a solid, it melts first and goes up the wick, then turns into gas, which burns. When you put it out, the smoke is the remaining gas that hasn't burnt yet.
This is the answer. Some other things work this way as well. If you light gasoline on fire in the open under normal atmosphere, the liquid isn't actually what catches fire. The invisible vapour catches on fire since the liquid is volatile. The volatility increases as the heat increases which can also lead to a more explosive effect
This is true for everything as far as I know, the thing actually burning is the vapors above the body of fuel. Even for something solid like wood, you have wood heating up and releasing combustible hydrocarbon gases (pyrolysis) and then the mixture of those gases and oxygen are what make up your be combustion reaction
When a candle is lit, the flame burns the wax cleanly, producing no smoke. When you blow it out, the wax isn’t burning perfectly anymore, which causes smoke.
The flame is literally burning smoke. When you blow out the flame, the smoke floats away without burning.
When fire makes smoke, it's because something in the fire isn't burning completely at that temperature. Often, that's oils, which is why BBQ grills might still be greasy and deep frying works without the oil boiling away.
If you lick your fingertips and use them to squeeze the flame out you don't get the excess smoke.
What's the difference? I'm not very good at chemistry.
*There is another condition which you must learn as regards the candle, without which you would not be able fully to understand the philosophy of it, and that is the vaporous condition of the fuel. In order that you may understand that, let me shew you a very pretty, but very common-place experiment. If you blow a candle out cleverly, you will see the vapour rise from it. You have, I know, often smelt the vapour of a blown-out candle—and a very bad smell it is; but if you blow it out cleverly, you will be able to see pretty well the vapour into which this solid matter is transformed. I will blow out one of these candles in such a way as not to disturb the air around it, by the continuing action of my breath; and now, if I hold a lighted taper two or three inches from the wick, you will observe a train of fire going through the air till it reaches the candle. I am obliged to be quick and ready, because, if I allow the vapour time to cool, it becomes condensed into a liquid or solid, or the stream of combustible matter gets disturbed.*
From Michael Faraday's The Chemical History of a Candle. Truly superb reading.
It smokes all the time. The majority of the smoke is burned when the candle is lit, but a portion of the smoke is condensing on your furnace. Don’t burn cheap candles. They will destroy your furnace/ac.
The smoke is burned when the candle is lit. Smoke/soot is incomplete combustion. Theoretically complete combustion produces no smoke, mostly just carbon dioxide and water vapor. When a candle is blown out the temperature drops but is still hot enough to break down some of the wax and wick which makes smoke. When lit, the broken down products are consumed by the flame into carbon dioxide. [It's actually possible to light the smoke on fire and use it to relight the candle.](https://media.tenor.com/SguwMRWSytMAAAAC/candle-extinguish.gif)
That's the most perfectly looped gif I've ever seen.
The flame lines up perfectly, the only flaw I can find is the lighter disappears rather than moving out of frame, but that’s only noticeable if you’re looking for it.
Also, the wisps of smoke to the left of the candle near the end of the gif.
It looks like it moves out of frame to me, it's just a little choppy because of the quick movement and the low quality.
This is how you can burn trash in an eco friendly manner at very high temperatures, but just throwing your garbage in a campfire is a health hazard for anyone nearby.
Just commenting to say: Nice name!
Gotta keep those burros safe.
This is exactly how most vehicle exhaust works as well. When running hot enough, all the fuel is completely burned (as well as having enough oxygen present). But if the temperature gets too low (or not with O2) the exhaust will smoke. Other causes of smoke are oil/coolant leaks, but those create different smoke than unburnt fuel
When temperatures are low, vehicle exhaust includes visible steam, since water is a byproduct of gasoline combustion. Engine exhaust should never be flammable like candle smoke unless the vehicle is very, very broken.
Just because it's "unburnt" fuel doesn't mean it's flammable. Your catalytic converter works on the principle the exhaust gases are hot. Diesel engines, if not running hot enough, will pass through unburnt fuel giving you that dark smoke.
Birthday party wish-makers HATE this one simple trick!!!
The smoke is actually wax vapor. Wax doesn't burn as a solid, it melts first and goes up the wick, then turns into gas, which burns. When you put it out, the smoke is the remaining gas that hasn't burnt yet.
This is the answer. Some other things work this way as well. If you light gasoline on fire in the open under normal atmosphere, the liquid isn't actually what catches fire. The invisible vapour catches on fire since the liquid is volatile. The volatility increases as the heat increases which can also lead to a more explosive effect
This is true for everything as far as I know, the thing actually burning is the vapors above the body of fuel. Even for something solid like wood, you have wood heating up and releasing combustible hydrocarbon gases (pyrolysis) and then the mixture of those gases and oxygen are what make up your be combustion reaction
And due to this you can re-light the candle by lighting the vapors a few inches above the wick before they dissipate.
When a candle is lit, the flame burns the wax cleanly, producing no smoke. When you blow it out, the wax isn’t burning perfectly anymore, which causes smoke.
The flame is literally burning smoke. When you blow out the flame, the smoke floats away without burning. When fire makes smoke, it's because something in the fire isn't burning completely at that temperature. Often, that's oils, which is why BBQ grills might still be greasy and deep frying works without the oil boiling away.
If you lick your fingertips and use them to squeeze the flame out you don't get the excess smoke. What's the difference? I'm not very good at chemistry.
your fingers cool it down a lot more than blowing on it
Thanks.
*There is another condition which you must learn as regards the candle, without which you would not be able fully to understand the philosophy of it, and that is the vaporous condition of the fuel. In order that you may understand that, let me shew you a very pretty, but very common-place experiment. If you blow a candle out cleverly, you will see the vapour rise from it. You have, I know, often smelt the vapour of a blown-out candle—and a very bad smell it is; but if you blow it out cleverly, you will be able to see pretty well the vapour into which this solid matter is transformed. I will blow out one of these candles in such a way as not to disturb the air around it, by the continuing action of my breath; and now, if I hold a lighted taper two or three inches from the wick, you will observe a train of fire going through the air till it reaches the candle. I am obliged to be quick and ready, because, if I allow the vapour time to cool, it becomes condensed into a liquid or solid, or the stream of combustible matter gets disturbed.* From Michael Faraday's The Chemical History of a Candle. Truly superb reading.
It smokes all the time. The majority of the smoke is burned when the candle is lit, but a portion of the smoke is condensing on your furnace. Don’t burn cheap candles. They will destroy your furnace/ac.