The Chemical History of a Candle (non-fiction)

Subject: Chemistry

Type: Non-fiction

Author: Michael Faraday

The Chemical History of a Candle front cover

How long is it?

There are seven lectures in this book. It takes about than 3 hours to read.

 

Is it easy to understand?

It may be difficult to understand for those who do not know about chemical experiments, because the book refers to many chemical substances, apparatus and chemical processes. 

 

Who is it for?

The lectures were originally delivered to young people, but anyone with an interest in chemistry can read it.

 

How recent is it?

The lectures were given in 1848.
 

What to expect from The Chemical History of a Candle

LECTURE I.
A Candle: The Flame, Its Sources, Structure, Mobility, Brightness
  • What candles are made of
  • Why candle-wood is a good source of light
  • What candles were used by the miners in coal mines
  • How candles can be so well-preserved
  • How tallow can be converted into stearin
  • How candle moulds are made
  • Why fluted candles are bad candles
  • What clever invention market vendors used to shield their candles
  • What makes a good candle
  • What capillary attraction is
  • What makes a flame move up or down
  • Why a large flame does not have a uniform shape
  • How the game of snapdragon relates to flames
LECTURE II. 
BRIGHTNESS OF THE FLAME–AIR NECESSARY FOR COMBUSTION–PRODUCTION OF WATER
  • The difference between a gas and a vapour
  • Where the heat of a candle is arranged
  • Why fresh air is necessary for combustion
  • What happens if we have larger wicks but the same supply of air
  • The difference between substances burning with flame and not with flame
  • Why a piece of wire gauze will not let a flame go through it
  • The result of the combustion of zinc
  • What the flame of coal-gas owes its brightness to
  • The cause of the dimness of a flame
LECTURE III. 
PRODUCTS: WATER FROM THE COMBUSTION–NATURE OF WATER–A COMPOUND–HYDROGEN
  • Why a candle burning properly does not produce charcoal or smoke
  • What happens when potassium reacts with water
  • Why a pint of oil produces more than a pint of water when burnt properly
  • The different volumes that water occupies in its different states
  • Why ice floats in water
  • How iron reacts with water
  • Which element only produces water in combustion
LECTURE IV. 
HYDROGEN IN THE CANDLE–BURNS INTO WATER–THE OTHER PART OF WATER–OXYGEN
  • What water is made of
  • Why a candle burns
  • Why oxygen is necessary for combustion
  • How to get oxygen from the air
  • What happens in the combustion of phosphorus
  • Why potassium decomposes water
  • How ice can set fire to potassium
LECTURE V.
OXYGEN PRESENT IN THE AIR–NATURE OF THE ATMOSPHERE–ITS PROPERTIES–OTHER PRODUCTS FROM THE CANDLE–CARBONIC ACID–ITS PROPERTIES
  • The make-up of air
  • What would happen if the air was pure oxygen
  • Why having so much nitrogen in the air is useful
  • How we weigh gases
  • What happens if you take a wine-glass half-full of water, put a flat card on top and turn it upside-down
  • The weight of air
  • How to blow an egg from one cup to another
  • Why Dr. Black called carbonic acid “fixed air”
  • How we prove the presence of carbonic acid
LECTURE VI.
CARBON OR CHARCOAL–COAL-GAS–RESPIRATION AND ITS ANALOGY TO THE BURNING OF A CANDLE–CONCLUSION
  • The chemical history of carbonic acid 
  • Where are the elements of carbonic acid supplied to the candle
  •  The history of carbon and oxygen
  • How potassium burns in carbonic acid
  • The relation between the combustion of a candle and respiration
  • Why fresh air is essential to us
  • How respiration works
LECTURE ON PLATINUM
  • The platiniferous metals and how we get them
  • What a platinum sponge is
  • How we get the adhesion of platinum
  • Why the Russian Government stopped making coins out of platinum
  • What happens when you apply the two extremities of a voltaic battery to platinum wireWh
  • The chemical affinity between certain metals and its significance
  • How to prove the fusibility of platinum in a common candle
  • How to melt antimony
  • How to prove the volatilisation of gold and silver

My thoughts…

The chemistry of every-day objects

In my opinion, what makes The Chemical History of a Candle fascinating and inspiring is that it is based on a common household object. If Michael Faraday could create six hours’ worth of excitement over the chemical history of a candle, we then ask ourselves about the chemical history of other objects. In this way, the lectures impact the reader profoundly, encouraging them to be curious about the world and everything in it. Because curiosity is the driving force behind scientific development, and because curiosity is accessible to everyone, I think this series of lectures is more powerful than it first appears to be.

 

The role of experiments in chemistry education

I think that experiments play a key role in scientific education, particularly chemistry, because it allows students to build crucial skills. They learn how to make their own observations and conclusions. In addition, the hands-on element means that they remember more than if they were reading notes. I also think that by doing their own chemistry experiments, students become more curious about the subject and learn how to solve problems and co-operate. The meaning of the scientific method is also more clear to students who have the opportunity to carry it out in practice, which could make them better scientists in the future. For these reasons, I believe that experiments are an essential part of teaching and learning chemistry.

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