THE CANDLE THAT MAKES UP THE WATER

Objective

In this experiment, we will have as an objective to explain the process of combustion

in the presence and absence of air.

Theoretical foundation

Combustion: This word contains a complex process where oxygen is the necessary
substance for it to occur. In fact, all combustion is chemical change by which the
atoms of substances called "fuels" combine with the oxygen in the air. If we compare
the principle of combustion of an engine with respect to the digestion of food, the
difference It is based on the type of "fuel" used (it is not the same as a glass of milk
or a barbecue, a glass of the best unleaded naphtha or a carob tree), but
fundamentally, the speed at which both reactions occur different. In the digestive
process energy is released as required. And in the case of fossil fuel, the reaction
stands alone once it has started.

Materials

1. A bowl with water

2. A candle
3. A narrow, transparent vessel

Mounting

1. Fill the dish with water (about two cm deep)

2. Add to the water a dye (optional)
3. Light the candle and place it inside the dish so that the water does not touch the
flame.
4. We put a glass on the candle. We wait a few seconds and see that the flame goes
out and water enters the glass.
CONCLUSIONS

When the candle is lit, a combustion reaction occurs: the candle wax reacts with the
oxygen in the air and produces carbon dioxide and water vapor. We can see that
inside the glass some water droplets appear. It is the water vapor produced in the
combustion of the candle that condenses on the walls of the vessel.

In the reaction, a gas is consumed, the oxygen that forms part of the air, but two are
formed, carbon dioxide and water vapor. The volume of gas produced is smaller than
the volume of oxygen consumed. The result is that the pressure inside the vessel
decreases and therefore the water rises until the internal pressure is equal to the
outside (atmospheric pressure).

Practical Applications

If you isolate something that is burning you can prevent it from continuing to burn,
for example, it is recommended to cover it with a wool blanket. You may have noticed
that some healers put a candle on the back of the patient and put a glass on it, the
skin is sucked as soon as the candle goes out. This is a very striking physical
phenomenon.

In nature

Winds and sea currents, There are many factors that influence the movement of
fluids (such as air and water), among these factors are changes in temperature and
pressure. Hot fluids tend to rise and displace cold fluids which tend to fall. The air
moves from the areas of greater to lesser pressure forming in this way the winds and
the marine currents.