"Drinking candle" experiment
Easy and impressive experiment with candle and water
An interesting experiment that demonstrates the change in the volume of air from heating and cooling.
Reagents and equipment:
- a Petri dish;
- a glass cylinder;
- a cigarette lighter.
Step-by-step instructions
Pour a little water into the Petri dish. Place a candle in it. Light the candle. Cover the candle with a glass cylinder, so the edge of the cylinder is completely immersed in the water . When the candle goes out, the water level in the cylinder will rise.
Processes description
When the candle burns, oxygen is expended, and the air in the cylinder heats up. When all of the oxygen is expended, the burning stops and the air cools. The volume of the cooled air is less than the volume of the heated air. As a result, a difference of pressures arises, which causes the water from the Petri dish to be sucked into the cylinder.
Safety precautions
Wear protective glasses and gloves. Don’t conduct the experiment near flammable substances and objects. Fire-extinguishing equipment should be at the ready. Follow general safety recommendations. Chemical experiments must be carried out in full compliance with the legislation of your country.
Warning! Substances of this experiment are toxic and highly dangerous for your health. Do not try this at home. Only under professional supervision.
Dozens of experiments you can do at home
One of the most exciting and ambitious home-chemistry educational projects The Royal Society of Chemistry
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We did this cool candle and glass experiment last week. The experiment teaches of role of oxygen in fire and its presence in the air. This one takes less than 5 minutes to complete it.  5 – 6-year-old kids can experiment this by noting time and they can learn how much oxygen is required to burn the candle. They can learn about smoke and wax. How to do this candle and glass experimentThe simplest experiment to do but has a big science behind it. Don’t panic this science is easy for even kids to understand. Let us first do this experiment and study the science behind it. Materials required for carrying out the experiment
[*Product links are affiliate links. Your support is highly appreciated] Arrangement Place the candle on the plate. Keep the matchbox and glass tumbler ready.  Light the candle and leave it for some time and then close the candle with a glass tumbler so that you can see through the light.  After a few seconds, you can see the flame comes down slowly and eventually goes off. You can try opening the glass when the flame is low to see how it picks up oxygen again and the flame goes higher. You can also see a small sediment of moisture in the inner walls of the glass. That is a proof that fire releases H2O.  Yes, the experiment is over. Now, try these and share your experience with us.
Do this experiment with kids and allow them to make the observations. Therefore oxygen is required for the candle to burn for a long time. Detailed science with terminologies Hydrocarbons present in the wax are converted to carbon dioxide and steam and this chemical process is called combustion. The oxygen gets pulled at the bottom and the wick draws the fuel. This will provide heat at the top and that makes air hot to rise up. This is how a candle burns. The steam part gives the blue color to the fire. The unburned carbon deposit makes the walls nearby black. Better oxygen means brighter the flame. Match stick is required to ignite and that produces the activation energy to start the entire burning process. The chemical equation for your reference Methane (hydrocarbon) + Oxygen –> Carbon dioxide and Water CH4 + 2 O2 –> CO2 + 2 H2O Check scienceline for more science facts. Also, read candles.org explanation to master the science behind candle and science experiments. When the candle is placed in the jar it limits the flow of oxygen and hence the candle flame goes off. Oxygen is the fuel for wax and makes the wick burn. When the candle is closed with the glass jar the oxygen supply is stopped. Initially, the candle burns by making use of the oxygen within the glass and slowly when there is no oxygen the flame goes off. The candle that is the shortest will go out first. It is because the CO2 is denser than air so it will settle down at the bottom eventually putting off the fire. Glass is also prone to crack and break due to heat. Check out for heat resistant glassware and use them for this experiment. When the candle is lighted the heat of the flame will melt the wax first near the wick that is on the top. Thus the wax will melt and that liquid wax gets drawn up again by the wick due to capillary action. The flame’s heat vaporizes the wax in the liquid state and that will initiate the hydrocarbon break down process. The hydrocarbon breaks down further into molecules of carbon and hydrogen. Combustion is the chemical reaction happening in the candle burning process. Wax is derived from petroleum and is a carbon chemical and it reacts with the oxygen present in the air. This process creates CO2 which is a colorless gas. Yes and no. Yes if it is pure beeswax. No, if it is not a pure wax. Candles made of pure beeswax will produce no smoke and cleanses the air around. It does this by releasing negative ions in the air. Such released negative ions bind with the toxins and remove them eventually from air. Also, natural pure beeswax burns slowly, when compared to paraffin candles and hence they last for long time. Candle burning requires oxygen and that is present in the air naturally. When we close the candle with jar, then oxygen flow is limited and once all the oxygen present is exhausted the candle gets extinguished.  Overall, stay around and explain to them to have fun. What inspired me to do this experiment?Let me share my experience in how did I arrive at doing this experiment? During one summer we had a massive power failure. My little ones had never been used to such a situation ever. But this time the situation was tough and they had to spend the whole night without power. That is when I lit a candle for light while we had dinner. As usual, my curious elder daughter asked me how does a candle burn. Why does it not require electricity as lights and fan do? How come it gives brightness as an electric bulb does. She bombarded me with questions I was like feeling glad that she thinks all these things. At the same time, my naughty little younger one as usual in her style started doing fun things. She blew the candle and sang “happy birthday”. We finished dinner and suddenly my little one using her empty glass covered the candle. In a few minutes the candle went off. I lighted the candle and told her not to play with fire. Again in few mins when I was away she did the same job to check if the light goes off. It did go off and my elder one was puzzled to know why it happened. Her question was when there is more air candle goes off that’s exactly what happens when we blew the candle. But here the contradiction happens and when the candle is closed it should not go off as airflow is cut. Then why it happens. I told her that there is a science behind that action. Now, we started doing this experiment to explain the concept to the kids.  Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Name * Email * Add Comment * Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Post Comment  WATER-CANDLE EXPERIMENT TO TRY OUT WITH KIDSThe water-candle experiment is a great early science activity to try out with kids. We tried it with our almost 3-year-old many many times and he insists almost daily to repeat it. If you want to know more about the science behind, you can read here (Harvard.edu).  Safe science experiments at home are a great way to ignite the natural curiosity of your little one early on. We chose this one, because Aiden loves water and fire. And it did not include any explosion or mess. So, well worth to try it out! Here is what you need. Materials for the Water-Candle ExperimentTo do it at home, we used few things from our kitchen:
InstructionsAnd that’s how it worked. First, we placed the clear glas bowl with the water on his activity table. We divided the responsibilities – I was the one responsible to light up the tea light and place it into the water and Aiden was the one who covers the burning candle with the glas jar. Perfect! After some seconds, the candles starts to dim and goes out. When the candle goes out, the water rises into the glas jar. The water level stays up for few minutes more, if your impatient toddler does not take the glas jar first and asks you over and over to repeated it again. This simple science water-candle experiment for kids, has at least two aspects – a chemical and a physical one. Both a chemical and a physical reasoning are needed to explain what we can see. I found it a little bit challenging to explain it to my toddler, so we just enjoyed the science in action over and over again. Here is a short video of one of our scientific sessions. Happy Experimenting! If you need more activity ideas, here is where you can find them ! Leave a CommentYou must be logged in to post a comment. Getting the facts right
Photos of the experimentAn exhibit of explanationsWhat do we learn, appendix: the chemical equation for general n.
Appendix: the ideal gas equation
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Fun Chemistry and Science Experiments To Do At Home Positive Reactions
Drinking Candle - 2 Title: Modification of traditional drinking candle experiment, showing water rushing into the flask when a little ethyl alcohol is rubbed inside. Description: In this experiment, we will modify the candle experiment by using some ethyl alcohol inside the flask, thereby reducing the pressure further Difficulty: Easy , but need adult supervision 1.A plate, preferably a porcelain plate 2.A small candle 3.Water, preferably water with some food coloring added 4.An Erlenmeyer flask or a similar jar to cover the candle 5.A lighter to light the candle 6.Ethyl Alcohol 1.Light the candle and stick it to the porcelain plate 2.Add some colored water to the plate 3.Add some ethyl alcohol to the flask and swirl it so it spreads 3.Cover the candle with the flask 4.You can see the fire momentarily jumping to the top of the flask. Also the candle will go out immediately and water will rush up to almost the top of the flask. How It Works: There is a chemical and physical reaction in this experiment. There are 2 chemical reactions happening here. 1. A candle is made of paraffin wax, a hydrocarbon with formula C n H 2n+2 . When a candle is lit, the paraffin reacts with the oxygen in the atmosphere producing water and Carbon dioxide. For n=1, the equation is 2O 2 + CH 4 --> CO 2 + 2H 2 O 2.The ethyl alcohol inside the flask is set on fire by the candle. Ethyl alcohol reacts with oxygen in the atmosphere producing carbon dioxide and water per equation below C 2 H 5 OH + O 2 --> CO 2 + H 2 O When the candle is covered by a jar or flask, it limits the air within the flask and all the oxygen is used up in the flask by both the ethyl alcohol and the candle. As a result, the candle goes out. Both the burning candle and burning ethyl alcohol heats the air inside the flask causing it to expand. When the flame goes out, the air cools down and compresses resulting in a low pressure area within the flask. Because of the added effect of ethyl alcohol burning, the air inside the flask is very less and so more water gets sucked into the flask!.
Recent PostsPrecipitation reaction Different Colors of Copper Salts Titration experiment, measuring the molarity of Sodium Hydroxide Candle and Water TrickAs the temperature falls, so does the pressure ◊ Food colour  1. Put a very little water on a plate, and mix in a couple of drops of food colour. 2. Place a candle in the middle of the plate, and light it. Slowly bring a glass down on top of the candle until it is standing in the water, on the plate. 3. Watch what happens next! The burning candle heats the air above it, including the air that goes into the glass. Once the glass is standing on the plate, the burning candle uses up all the available oxygen in the glass, then goes out. As it does so, the air in the glass cools, and as it cools, the air pressure in the glass falls below atmospheric pressure. Water is drawn into the glass until the pressure is equalised. You can turn this experiment into a competition by placing a small coin on the plate under the water and, offering students a variety of possible tools, seeing who can retrieve the coin without getting their fingers wet. So how does this relate to atmosphere?When we measure the air pressure at the surface of the Earth, we are literally measuring how much air is above us. If the air pressure falls, there is less air above us, if the air pressure rises, there is more air above us. The relationship between temperature and pressure is very important – as the temperature falls, so does the pressure and as the temperature rises, so does the pressure. That means that as air moves up in the atmosphere and the pressure falls (because there is less remaining atmosphere above) its temperature has to fall as well. Typically, the temperature of the atmosphere falls about 6°C for each 1000m you go up –so the tops of mountains are always much colder than the valleys below. This experiment also demonstrates how storm surges work – when the air pressure is low over a sea or ocean, the water level can rise. This can have devastating consequences – for example the North Sea flood of 1953. Another experimentFor another experiment looking at the relationship between temperature and pressure, all you need is a plastic syringe (the sort sold in pharmacies for administering medicine to babies). With your finger over the nozzle, pour a little very hot, but not boiling, water into the syringe. There will be a bubble of air at the bottom, so you won’t scald your finger! Now use the plunger to push all but 3ml of the water out, then put your finger over the nozzle again, and pull the plunger out. As the pressure in the syringe falls, the temperature falls but so does the boiling point of water – you should see the water starting to boil! More experiments and demonstrationsLatest from blog, climate calculations challenge, climate and sustainability in the curriculum – new report, what is climate literacy and why do pupils need it, new resource: heatwave fieldwork in the school estate.  The Greenhouse Effect DIY Wind Vane Ocean Acidification and CO2 Absorption – Teacher’s Notes Make an Aneroid BarometerSubscribe to metlink updates, weather and climate resources and events for teachers. © 2024 Royal Meteorological Society RMetS is a registered charity No. 208222 About MetLink Cookies Policy Privacy Policy Safeguarding Policy 
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Understanding the Science Behind the Candle Under Drinking Glass Experiment
Phrak said: To amaze and entertain my 8 year old I did the candle under the drinking glass experiment. I took a bowl of water, put a lit candle in the middle and placed a glass over the top. Sure enough, the water rose up the candle went out. For him it was an unexpected and wonderful result What made the water go up?! I was very happy to see the amazement in his face. Wonderful! However, I told him knowingly--and knowing I had no idea what I was talking about, "The candle burned the oxygen in the air, so there was less air, and so the water had to rise up because now there's less air under the glass." Its what I was told when I was about his age --but now I question it. What's the real story? I'm burning wax, which is fairly close to (CH 2 ) n , and combining it with oxygen in the air. 2CH 2 + 3O 2 → 2CO 2 + 2H 2 O For every three molecules of oxygen I get 4 molecules of gas. But the water level rose. Now I know, that air has abou 21% oxygen and the water rose to reduce the initial volume by about 10 to 15%. To be sure I'd have to try it again. It's a bit warmer inside the glass then when the the experiment started, so what actually happened? A PF PlanetWell, when the glass is first placed over the candle, there's not a great deal of hot air inside. It should be a contributing factor though. It could be tested though. Hovering the glass over the candle for a while could cause the water to rise higher in the glass.
The candle under the drinking glass experiment is a classic demonstration of the relationship between air pressure and temperature. When you placed the glass over the lit candle, the flame used up the oxygen inside the glass and created carbon dioxide and water vapor. The water vapor takes up more space than the oxygen it replaced, causing the air inside the glass to heat up and expand. This expansion creates a decrease in air pressure inside the glass, creating a vacuum that pulls the water up into the glass. This phenomenon is known as Charles's Law, which states that as the temperature of a gas increases, its volume also increases. This is because the molecules in the gas have more energy and move faster, taking up more space. In this case, the water vapor molecules have more energy and push against the air molecules, causing them to spread out and decrease the air pressure inside the glass. Additionally, the water level rose because of the decrease in air pressure outside the glass. As the air inside the glass heated up and expanded, the air outside the glass cooled down and contracted. This created a difference in air pressure, with the higher pressure outside pushing the water up into the glass to balance the pressure inside. So, in summary, the candle under the drinking glass experiment demonstrates the relationship between temperature and air pressure, and how changes in temperature can cause changes in air pressure that can lead to interesting phenomena like the water rising up into the glass. It's a simple yet fascinating experiment that can help us understand the science behind everyday occurrences. The candle under the drinking glass experiment is a classic example of the relationship between gas and volume. When the candle is lit, it produces heat and light through a process called combustion. The candle wax, which is primarily made of carbon and hydrogen molecules, reacts with oxygen in the air to produce carbon dioxide and water vapor. This process releases energy in the form of heat and light. As the candle burns, it uses up oxygen from the air, creating a low-pressure area inside the glass. This low pressure causes the water to rise up into the glass, filling the space where the oxygen was consumed. This process is known as the "candle sucking" effect. The water level rises because the volume of gas inside the glass decreases as the oxygen is consumed. According to the ideal gas law, as the volume of a gas decreases, the pressure and temperature also decrease. As the air cools down, the water vapor inside the glass condenses into liquid water, creating a partial vacuum that pulls the water up into the glass. So, to answer your question, the water rises because of the decrease in gas volume and the decrease in temperature inside the glass due to the burning candle. This experiment is a great way to demonstrate the relationship between gas and volume, as well as the concept of pressure and temperature in gases. I hope you and your child continue to explore and learn about science together! FAQ: Understanding the Science Behind the Candle Under Drinking Glass Experiment1. what is the purpose of the candle under drinking glass experiment. The purpose of this experiment is to demonstrate the relationship between air pressure and temperature. By creating a vacuum inside the glass, the candle flame will use up the oxygen and create a lower air pressure, causing the water to rise into the glass. 2. How does the candle create a vacuum inside the glass?When the candle is lit, it uses up the oxygen inside the glass. This creates a lower air pressure compared to the outside air, causing the water to rise into the glass. 3. Why does the water rise into the glass?The water rises into the glass because of the difference in air pressure between the inside and outside of the glass. The lower air pressure inside the glass causes the water to be pushed up into the glass. 4. What happens if the candle is not lit?If the candle is not lit, there will be no change in air pressure inside the glass and the water will not rise. The candle flame is necessary to create a vacuum inside the glass. 5. Can this experiment be done with any type of candle?Yes, this experiment can be done with any type of candle as long as it is able to create a flame. However, larger candles may produce a bigger flame and use up more oxygen, creating a stronger vacuum inside the glass. Similar threads
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Drinking candle experiment with household materials is super easy to set up. A burning candle is so hot so it wants to drink water so it sucked the water in....
Easy and impressive experiment with candle and water. Subjects. STEM 5-10+ Physics 8-14+ Chemistry 10-16+ Medicine 14-99+ School & bulk orders ... "Drinking candle" experiment Easy and impressive experiment with candle and water. Share Tweet Send An interesting experiment that demonstrates the change in the volume of air ...
1.A plate, preferably a porcelain plate. 2.A small candle. 3.Water, preferably water with some food coloring added. 4.An Erlenmeyer flask or a similar jar to cover the candle. 5.A lighter to light the candle. Procedure: 1.Light the candle and stick it to the porcelain plate. 2.Add some colored water to the plate. 3.Cover the candle with the flask.
SUBSCRIBE to Channel : http://goo.gl/llRTJRDrinking underwater candle is a Fun Science Experiment to observe the change in the volume of the glass by change ...
Place the candle in the middle of the plate or bowl. 2. Optional: If your candle can't stand by itself, use some playdough to help it stand upright. 3. Optional: Mix water with food coloring in a separate container. The food coloring helps you see the rising water better. 4. Pour the colored water into the plate (to about 1 cm in depth). 5.
Fill your measuring cup with water and add a couple drops of food coloring. Place the tea light in the pie plate. Pour water into the pie plate so that it just covers the bottom. You don't want the water to be very deep. Light the candle, and then cover it with a jar. Watch the water carefully.
Step-by-step instructions. Toss a coin on a plate, fill it with tinted water. Put a candle on the water, light it and hold a glass over the top to warm the air inside. 30 seconds later, lower the glass onto the plate. The water draws in and the coin can be easily removed without wetting your hands.
Water. Steps involved. Fill the plate with water. Place the candle on the plate and lit it. You can see the candle glowing brightly. It may float or stand on the water in the plate based on the weight of the candle. The presence of water does not make any difference to the candle at this stage.
"Drinking candle" experiment Easy and impressive experiment with candle and water. Share Tweet Send An interesting experiment that demonstrates the change in the volume of air from heating and cooling. Reagents and equipment: a candle; water; a Petri dish; a glass cylinder; ...
Very simple experiment you can do at home or in your science club. Make the water defy the gravity and fills a glass. This is a perfect activity when your ar...
Place the tealight on the surface (it floats) and light it. Then take the glass, place it directly above the tealight, and push the glass straight down to the bottom. Since there is air in the glass, the tealight and water surface will be pushed down to the bottom. For a while, the candle will burn well below the water surface, trapped inside ...
Experiment Procedure. Fill the glass with water. Color the water using one of the Color Fizzers. The color helps you see what's happening so let the tablet dissolve completely. Pour the entire glass of colored water into the pie pan. The water level needs to be at about the three-quarters full mark. Form the clay into a ball large enough to ...
Arrangement. Place the candle on the plate. Keep the matchbox and glass tumbler ready. Action. Light the candle and leave it for some time and then close the candle with a glass tumbler so that you can see through the light. Result. After a few seconds, you can see the flame comes down slowly and eventually goes off.
• Candle • Lighter • Clear drinking glass • Safety googles and gloves Overview and Objective. Although you cannot usually see it, air takes up space! When it is heated, it expands and takes up more space than when it is cool - think of a hot air balloon! In this experiment, we will be seeing atmospheric pressure changes in front of
The water-candle experiment is a great early science activity to try out with kids. We tried it with our almost 3-year-old many many times and he insists almost daily to repeat it. If you want to know more about the science behind, you can read here (Harvard.edu). Safe science experiments at home are a great way to ignite the natural curiosity ...
Drinking Candle is a fun science experiment for kids to do at home. It shows how a burning candle drinks water in glass.Safety First! Adult Supervision Requi...
Experiment: Cover a burning candle with a pitcher so that the candle is in an air-tight room sealed by the water at the ground. Observations: After some time, the candle dims and goes out. Just before the candle dies, the water level rises to almost 1/10 th of pitcher height. No air bubbles are seen. The water level stays up for many few minutes more.
Title: Modification of traditional drinking candle experiment, showing water rushing into the flask when a little ethyl alcohol is rubbed inside. Description:In this experiment, we will modify the candle experiment by using some ethyl alcohol inside the flask, thereby reducing the pressure further Difficulty: Easy , but need adult supervisionMaterials: 1.A plate, preferably a porcelain plate 2 ...
Candle Food colour Water Saucer or plate. Method. 1. Put a very little water on a plate, and mix in a couple of drops of food colour. 2. Place a candle in the middle of the plate, and light it. Slowly bring a glass down on top of the candle until it is standing in the water, on the plate. 3. Watch what happens next!
Compilation of Science experiments with candles :0:00 Light candle by the smoke0:15 Waterproof matches0:39 Hydrophobic surface0:59 Diving candle1:22 Vacuum t...
The candle under the drinking glass experiment is a classic example of the relationship between gas and volume. When the candle is lit, it produces heat and light through a process called combustion. The candle wax, which is primarily made of carbon and hydrogen molecules, reacts with oxygen in the air to produce carbon dioxide and water vapor. ...
"Drinking candle" is an interesting experiment that demonstrates the change in the volume of air from heating... "Drinking candle" experiment | Definitely going to try it this evening! Facebook
Here, I have performed the drinking candle experiment with three types of fluids: water, vegetable oil, and water + sanitizer (70% alcohol) mixture. When the...