We all know that the amount of wax does not remain the same in the wax candle container, right? 

So, we ask ourselves: Where does candle wax go?

The science behind the burning of candle wax:

Candle wax is made of carbon and hydrogen. When you burn the wick, it results in the triggering of a chemical reaction, giving carbon dioxide, and water as the output, along with light and heat.

When you lit the wick, it starts turning the wax around it into liquid. The wax reacts with the oxygen from the air; the hydrogen items bind with the oxygen to give water. Similarly, the freed carbon molecules react with oxygen to form carbon dioxide.

The reaction continues till there is enough heat to burn the wax or enough wax to fuel the process. If any of these ends, i.e., you blow the candle or the wax near the wick isn’t there, the process will stop immediately.

So, the wax changes shape and becomes a part of our atmosphere.

Why doesn’t all the wax burn?

But with this process in place, there must be no wax left, right? Valid point.

But this reaction takes place with the wax that burns just beside the wick. The wax that burns away from the flame isn’t capable of completing the chemical reaction, and this is what we see in the form of residual wax and ashes.

Another question here is if the water vapors are released in the air, why does the atmosphere still feel dry?

It is because, with the water vapors, one-third of the total heat also radiates into the environment. Thus, a hotter atmosphere can hold more vapors, so even a higher emission of water vapors doesn’t suffice the emitted heat.

Summing Up:

The chemical reaction taking place during the burning process is the reason for the lesser wax you see in your candle jar. So, there is no way you can have the complete jar of wax left after burning a candle.