Chemical Eye on Snapdragons by Candlelight

"If you play with fire, you will get burned." That's what my father told me, and it's what I have told all of my children. Except for recently, when my finger was on fire and I told my son "If you watch a trained chemist play with fire, you will get learned."
This is how chemist Preston MacDougall starts off his fascinating article, "Chemical Eye on Snapdragons by Candlelight." And while I am generally pretty strict with candle safety, it did make me want to get out my bottle of sambuca and see if I could create a Snapdragon myself. (But no, I won't be doing this in front of my son until at least he's a bit older.) The article is full of wonderful history, philosophy and discussion about what makes candles so special. Enjoy!