Monday, July 17, 2017

Experiment to show that air contains about 20% oxygen


I remember that in my primary classed I had an experiment in science to show air contains 20% oxygen. The experiment involved taking a trough of water, lighting a candle in the middle of the trough and inverting a glass jar over the candle so that air supply for the candle is cut of. When candle extinguishes, water level in the glass jar rises. I have seen this happen.


My question is why should the water raise in the jar, since burning of candle should produce an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide, so the molar amount of gas in jar is constant? Also the heat from the candle should expand the gasses in the jar, water level should go down I think.




Answer



The paraffin wax is an alkane (CXnHX2n+2); its combustion reaction is (complete combustion): 2CXnHX2n+2+(3n+1)OX22(n+1) HX2O+2nCOX2

or (incomplete combustion): 2CXnHX2n+2+(2n+1)OX22(n+1) HX2O+2nCO
In the two cases the quantity (in moles) of OX2 is greater than the quantity of COX2 or CO.


Moreover the gaseous HX2O becomes liquid.


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