CO₂ Candle Snuffer
Pour invisible carbon-dioxide gas over candles to put them out without touching them.
Start building ↓The build
Light the candles
Set a row of small candles safely.
Make the gas
React baking soda and vinegar in a jar.
Let it settle
CO₂ collects in the jar, heavier than air.
Pour it out
Tip the gas (not the liquid) over the flames — they go out.
The reaction makes carbon-dioxide gas, which is denser than air and doesn't burn, so pouring it over a flame starves it of oxygen.
A closer look
Fire needs oxygen; replacing the air around a flame with inert CO₂ smothers it — the basis of CO₂ fire extinguishers.
Variables to test
- 1 Snuff candles of different heights — which goes first?
- 2 Why does the tallest candle survive longest?
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