How does a flame work?

Question

How exactly does a flame work in its chemical composition and its reacting with the surrounding air (probably oxygen) and its creating light energy and heat energy etc.? Its just something i've been curious about but haven't ever really investigated.

Answer 1

Whe a fuel reacts with oxygen, it produces oxides as a product. Take methane combustion as a simple example:
For complete combustion:
CH4 + 2O2 -> CO2 + 2H2O
To start the reaction, an igniter of some sort (a spark for instance), must be used- a source of energy sufficient to activate the reaction- ie, get it started. Once the reaction is in progress, it produces its own heat, which keeps it going.
Smoke is produced when combustion of a fuel occurs with insufficient oxygen.
Partially burned carbon-rich particles are produced, rather than it all being fully oxidised to CO2. This is smoke.
When the smoke leaves the immediate area of the combustion reaction, it is still very hot- so hot that it glows yellow and orange. This is called 'incandescence', and this incandescent smoke is called a 'flame'.
In a reaction in which fuel burns fully to CO2 and H2O, essentially no smoke is produced, which is why a methane flame, burning in the presence of sufficient oxygen, is almost invisible.

Answer 2

Maybe you should try investigating yourself because that's how you remember about what you have found out!

try investigating about the chemical reaction called combustion.