Top News

News India Live, Digital Desk: We all have definitely seen camphor burning in our homes during worship. As soon as we show it a match stick, it immediately catches fire and starts burning rapidly and does not leave any ash behind. But have you ever wondered why this happens? And what is this camphor, which is an important part of our puja room, made of? The science behind fire. Burning of camphor so fast is not magic, but there is simple science behind it. Actually, camphor is a very flammable substance. Being flammable means that it catches fire only at very low temperatures. When we give even a little heat to camphor (like with a matchstick), it starts changing from solid to gas directly. When this gas comes in contact with fire, it burns rapidly. This is why we see the camphor flame so bright. What is camphor made from? Many people think that camphor is probably made in a factory from some chemical, but real (natural) camphor is obtained from a special tree. Name of the tree: The scientific name of this tree is Cinnamomum camphora, which is also called camphor tree in common language. This tree is mainly found in countries like China, Japan and Taiwan, but now it is also grown in India. Making process: The wood and bark of this tree are used to make camphor. These are cut into small pieces and boiled in a big vessel with water, which produces steam. When this steam is cooled, we get camphor in the form of crystals. This entire process is called Distillation. So next time when you burn camphor while performing Aarti, remember that it is not just a puja material but also a small miracle of science which we get from nature through a special tree.