Ethanol flame. The flame is burning on a wick that is soaked in ethanol. As the ethanol on the end of the wick is burnt, more ethanol replaces it from the reservoir below (in which the other end of the wick is dipped), moving up the wick by capillary action. Ethanol (CH3.CH2.OH) is a type of chemical known as an alcohol, which is the common name for it when used in alcoholic drinks. It burns with a relatively clean (not too sooty) flame, having a relatively short chain of carbon atoms for each molecule.