Burns, yes. At first glance, it appears that only the wick catches fire and that the paraffin wax just melts. But try incinerating a loose fuse. It will be consumed in seconds. When he is in the middle of the candle, this does not happen precisely because the fuel that feeds the flame is paraffin (derived from petroleum composed of flammable elements, called hydrocarbons). When you light the wick, the wax on top of the candle melts and is absorbed by the wick. The high temperature makes the liquid paraffin turn to steam and it is this steam that catches fire. With that protective covering around it, the wick doesn’t burn out as quickly. But if the wax itself is flammable, why is there always paraffin left over when the candle runs out? Because wax contains different hydrocarbons: some are more flammable, others less. “As the temperature of the flame is not enough to burn the less volatile ones, they simply melt”, says chemist Flávio Maron Vichi, from USP.
