Eli5: What happens to all the melted candle over time? Are we just inhaling a whole candle while it burns?
In: Chemistry
The wax reacts with the oxygen in the air to form water, carbon dioxide with a smattering of carbon monoxide and soot.
So some of the carbon dioxide you breathe in will likely have come from the burning candle, but I wouldn’t say that it is a candle anymore.
Candle wax is the fuel burned off, any scent added is being inhaled. Any wick left too long burns and releases ash into the air.
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