Whether you’re looking to feel like a real chemist or blow your friends’ minds with a cool party trick, this experiment is for you. You probably have all the ingredients you need to extinguish a candle with an invisible gas already, so what’s stopping you?

Equipment

  • Baking soda
  • Vinegar 7%
  • A mixing cup
  • A candle
  • A glass to put the candle inside
  • Matches

Instructions

  1. An adult should always be present and helping during this experiment
  2. Mix 50 ml vinegar with 2-3 tablespoons of baking soda in a bowl. Mix it little by little so that it doesn’t bubble over
  3. Light the candle and place it in the glass
  4. Pour the invisible gas into the glass. Be careful not to include any of the liquid
  5. Try lighting the candle again

What happened?

Nothing can burn without heat, oxygen and fuel. We call these three the ‘fire triangle’ because a fire will stop burning if one of them is removed. A chemical reaction happens when you mix baking soda and vinegar. The reaction produces carbon dioxide gas, which is an invisible gas that doesn’t burn. Carbon dioxide is much heavier than air. Therefore, the carbon dioxide pushes the air away when you pour it over the candle. Now the oxygen is gone, and the candle stops burning.

 

Whether you’re looking to feel like a real chemist or blow your friends’ minds with a cool party trick, this experiment is for you. You probably have all the ingredients you need to extinguish a candle with an invisible gas already, so what’s stopping you? Equipment Baking soda Vinegar 7% A mixing cup A candle….Click to read more