a candle slowly burns until the last bit of wax and wick are gone. The two reactants in this chemical reaction are the wick and oxygen. Which statement correctly identifies components as part of the system or the surroundings for this chemical reaction?

Question

All of the air is part of the system
All of the candle is part of the surroundings
In the candle, only the wick is part of the surroundings
In the air, only the oxygen is part of the system

Answer 1

In the context of a candle burning, we can define the system and surroundings as follows:

• The system typically includes the reactants and products involved in the chemical reaction. In this case, the system consists of the wick (which contains the fuel) and the oxygen from the air that facilitates combustion.

• The surroundings include everything else outside the system that may exchange energy or matter with it. This would generally include the air (which contains gases other than just oxygen), the surface that the candle is sitting on, and the environment around the candle.

Given this understanding, let's evaluate the options provided:

1. All of the air is part of the system - This is incorrect; only the oxygen in the air is part of the system while the rest of the air is part of the surroundings.

2. All of the candle is part of the surroundings - This is incorrect; the wick and any wax that participates in the reaction are part of the system.

3. In the candle, only the wick is part of the surroundings - This is incorrect; the wick is part of the system, and the wax in the candle also contributes to the combustion reaction.

4. In the air, only the oxygen is part of the system - This is the correct statement; in this context, the relevant component of the system from the air is indeed the oxygen, while the other gases in the air are considered part of the surroundings.

Thus, the correct answer is: In the air, only the oxygen is part of the system.