Dealing with candle wax can make you curious about its shape, morphology, and chemical properties. Do you know what type of solid is candle wax? Let’s see what type of solid the candle wax is.

What type of solid is candle wax?

When you have the candle wax in solid form, you might consider it in a solid-state. But when it is in the melted form, it becomes liquid. So, what state can you use to define the state of the candle wax?

Candle wax is an amorphous solid having no definite shape or a specific temperature at which it melts.

What is an amorphous solid?

An amorphous solid is a specific form of solid where the molecules aren’t tightly packed as in the ionic solids. So, applying heat and pressure can easily change the shape of such a solid. Candle wax is such an example.

Amorphous solids usually don’t have enough time to arrange their molecules before they freeze back from the liquid state.

How does this amorphous nature of candle wax help in candle burning?

When you light a candle, the heat from the flame melts the wax near the wick. Because of the capillary action, the liquid wax travels up the wick and vaporizes due to the flame heat. It initiates a chain reaction of breakdown of hydrocarbons, of which the candle wax is usually made.

Summing up:

Candle wax is an amorphous solid having a less compact arrangement of molecules. It can change its shape with great ease and does not have a specific temperature point for melting. Being an amorphous solid, candle wax can get into any shape you like and burns as a candle with a small flame.