How to Put Out a Flame with Invisible Gas?

Simple chemistry: How to Put Out a Flame with Invisible Gas.

Experiment: Pour vinegar into a bottle and then add baking soda.

The reaction will start immediately: bubbles of carbon dioxide gas, CO2, invisible and odorless – will form.

Now for the fun part. Take an empty bowl and carefully “pour out” the invisible gas.

Then pour this gas over the candles without touching them.

The candles go out!

Candles burn because of the combustion process, which requires oxygen (O2) to sustain the flame.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a gas that is heavier than air and does not support combustion.

Candles go out because CO2 replaces the oxygen needed for the chemical reaction of combustion.