The stuff that melts is the stuff that burns. The wick isn’t really the main thing that burns. It just transports melted wax to the flame. The wax then evaporates into fumes, which react with oxygen.
As the wax is make of long chains of carbon with a load of hydrogen stuck on, burning it forms carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapour (H2O), which goes in to the air.
So yep, we’ll inhale some of the stuff that was the candle, but in a form we inhale anyway!
Yes, kind of. Also, burning a lot of candles inside your home isn’t too good. We once had a neighbor who really liked candles. Once I was looking after her pets when she was on holiday and I noticed a thin layer of black material on the windows and ceiling. I then browsed a bit and there are candles that aren’t that bad for you.
This is perhaps the best explanation I have ever seen. [The Engineer Guy replicated *The Chemical History of a Candle* lectures by Michael Faraday](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrHnLXMTOWM&list=PL0INsTTU1k2UCpOfRuMDR-wlvWkLan1_r)
I think it’s well suited for younger audiences who might also be interested in learning what science is really about… because the lecture really is more about “How to Science” and Faraday just used a candle to convey that.
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