Science · Chemistry · Faraday's lectures

The Chemical History of a Candle

Michael Faraday's six famous Christmas lectures for young people (1860–61), where one candle leads to flame, air, water, hydrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and our own breathing. For children about 11 to 14 with a parent, with a step-by-step guide for every session and the right page of the book beside it.

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Turn this on to see every lesson as a simple checklist: what to get out, what to do and what to say, one line at a time.

How to use it

  • Read aloud, then talk. These were spoken lectures. Take turns reading, and stop whenever Faraday asks a question so your child can answer it.
  • Safety comes first. Faraday used potassium, explosive gases, strong acids and gunpowder. Those are marked "Watch only": read what happened, then find a video of a teacher doing it. Every flame activity has a safety line: an adult present, hair tied back, a fireproof surface and water nearby.
  • Keep a candle kit. Plain candles and tea lights, a large plate or baking tray, matches or a long lighter for the adult, a few glass jars, a metal spoon, baking soda and vinegar.
  • Old names, new names. Faraday's "carbonic acid" is carbon dioxide and "shew" is show. Each guide adds a short "What we know now" note where science has moved on.
  • Two or three sessions a lecture. About 30 to 40 minutes each, two or three times a week, takes about two months. Keep a science notebook for drawings and narrations.

Part 1 Lecture I: A candle and its flame

What candles are made of, how the melted fuel climbs the wick, and the vapor that really burns. Lessons 1–3.

  1. 1What candles are made ofLecture I, part 1✓
  2. 2The cup of melted wax and the climbing fuelLecture I, part 2✓
  3. 3Wax vapor, the shape of a flame, and snapdragonLecture I, part 3✓

Part 2 Lecture II: Inside the flame

The vapor in the middle, the ring of heat, why flames need fresh air, why they shine, and the first sign of water. Lessons 4–6.

  1. 4Inside the flame: wax vapor and the ring of heatLecture II, part 1✓
  2. 5Fresh air, smoke, and two kinds of burningLecture II, part 2✓
  3. 6Why a flame is bright, and what goes upLecture II, part 3✓

Part 3 Lecture III: Water and hydrogen

Water caught from a candle, water as ice and steam, and the light, hot-burning gas hidden in water. Lessons 7–9.

  1. 7Water from a candle, and water's changesLecture III, part 1✓
  2. 8Iron, steam, and a gas that burnsLecture III, part 2✓
  3. 9Hydrogen, the water-makerLecture III, part 3✓

Part 4 Lecture IV: Oxygen

Water split by electricity into hydrogen and oxygen, and how fiercely things burn in oxygen. Lessons 10–12.

  1. 10Pulling water apart with electricityLecture IV, part 1✓
  2. 11Two gases from water: oxygen gets its nameLecture IV, part 2✓
  3. 12Burning in oxygenLecture IV, part 3✓

Part 5 Lecture V: The air and carbonic acid

Air is oxygen and nitrogen, air has weight, and the invisible heavy gas that goes up from every candle. Lessons 13–15.

  1. 13What air is made of: oxygen and nitrogenLecture V, part 1✓
  2. 14Air has weight and pushes hardLecture V, part 2✓
  3. 15The invisible product: carbonic acidLecture V, part 3✓

Part 6 Lecture VI: Carbon, breathing and the conclusion

Carbon burning with a spark, breathing as a living candle, plants taking the carbon back, and Faraday's closing wish. Lessons 16–18.

  1. 16Carbon burns with a sparkLecture VI, part 1✓
  2. 17We burn like candles: breathingLecture VI, part 2✓
  3. 18Plants, carbon that waits, and a candle's wishLecture VI, part 3✓

Part 7 The extra Lecture on Platinum (optional)

An evening lecture for grown-ups, printed at the end of the book: platinum, its family of metals, and the fierce heat needed to melt it. Lessons 19–21.

  1. 19Platinum and its family of metals optionalPlatinum, part 1✓
  2. 20Platinum ore, Russian coins, and Deville's plan optionalPlatinum, part 2✓
  3. 21Fierce heat, a furnace of lime, and Faraday's farewell optionalPlatinum, part 3✓

The book itself

The Chemical History of a Candle

1908 printing (first published 1861) · About ages 11 and up

Michael Faraday's famous lectures to a young audience at the Royal Institution, which start from a burning candle and follow where it leads: the flame, the air, water and breathing. Edited by William Crookes.

🧑‍🏫 Teaching guides ⬇ Download PDF (6.4 MB) Internet Archive ↗

Scanned from a University of California Libraries copy.

Each guide covers part of one of Faraday's lectures, shown beside the title (for example "Lecture II, part 1"); the last three guides cover the extra Lecture on Platinum and are optional. The guides are written for this site; the book is in the public domain.

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