The Chemical History of a Candle

Faraday liked to say there was no better door into science than a candle, and these six Christmas lectures at the Royal Institution prove the point. Delivered to a young audience and published in 1861, they begin with a lit wick and end somewhere near the chemistry of the atmosphere and the air we breathe out. Faraday shows how the flame draws liquid up the wick, why its centre is dark, what carbon and hydrogen are doing in the light, and how the water and gases produced can be caught and tested. He performs each step as he speaks, and keeps insisting his listeners can repeat it at home. Few people have taught science this clearly. Free to download as PDF and EPUB.