When a candles wax burns, is it a chemical or physical change?
It is a chemical change. Whenever anything burns it is chemical. Wow does this bring me back. Candle wax in it’s solid or liquid form does not burn. Bend a burning wick into the liquid wax and the flame will go out. The wick is only there for two purposes the first is to catch fire and create heat to melt the wax and then evaporate it. It is the resulting gas that burns. The second purpose it serves is to guide the flame and keep it centered so the candle burns evenly. This is admittedly not a complete answer because I didn’t explain the burn process itself which is the chemical reaction. Unfortunately it’s been a long time since 8th grade. But it was a nice trip down memory lane.
it is both chemical and physical my sci class is doing this question from my understandings there is 2 physical changes and 1 chemical change physical 1)the change of the wax from solid to liquid 2)the change from liquid to gas chemical) 1)while the wick burns it causes oxygen to (mix)with the burning wax (gas form) so since it creates a new molecule it is a chemical change