You will need
- Tea light
- Tea spoon
- Small bowl
- Vinegar
- Baking soda
- Match to light the candle
What to do
- Place the tea light in the middle of the bowl.
- Arrange the baking soda in the bowl around the tea light using the tea spoon.
- Light the tea light.
- Slowly add vinegar to the baking soda around the tea light. Be careful not to put the vinegar directly into the flame.
- Observe what happens to the candle.
Background
When vinegar reacts with baking soda, the gas carbon dioxide is formed. Carbon dioxide is heavier than air and stays in the bowl. Carbon dioxide gas replaces the air with the oxygen needed for the tea light’s flame in the bowl. Finally, the non-flammable carbon dioxide gas smothers the flame.
You can watch this experiment as a video here:
A tang of science 