What are the two main elements in candle wax?

EmmaB | 18:00 Sun 19th Sep 2004 | How it Works

4 Answers

Does anybody know what the two main elements are that make up candle wax?

brail

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Clanad

Parafin wax and wick.

Clanad

Re-read the question... Parafin wax is made up of highly refined petroleum, only other content could be H2O. Other waxes, such as vegetable base and beeswax couold have different constituents.

New Forester

Paraffin wax is derived from petroleum. Natural gas, petrol, paraffin, diesel, fuel oil, paraffin wax and polythene (correctly called polythane) all have a chemical structure which is a chain of carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms stuck on -- the only difference between these is the length of the carbon chain (the shorter ones are listed first above). So the answer is carbon and hydrogen, assuming you meant chemical elements. Waxes derived more directly from living things (such as ear-wax or beeswax) have more complex structures and will contain (at least) oxygen as well.

EmmaB

Question Author

Bingo! Thank you that makes sense now .... i had written hydrocarbon down and couldn't think what the other one was .... but then i clicked ... the question asked for elements ... so hydrogen and carbon! Thank you! Emm x

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