Why does a candle make no smoke when it is lit but makes a lot of smoke when you blow it out?

Question

Why does a candle make no smoke when it is lit but makes a lot of smoke when you blow it out?

In: 5243

Answer 1

The flame of the candle is actually melting, vaporizing, and then burning the wax (not just the wick!). When the flame goes out, it’s no longer burning the wax, but the heat is still hot enough to vaporize the wax until it cools a bit. So the “smoke” is actually wax vapor