Final answer:
Burning a marshmallow over a fire releases chemical energy primarily as heat and light. This chemical reaction is exothermic and similar to cellular respiration in living organisms, where energy is captured in ATP, though less heat and no light are emitted in that process.
Step-by-step explanation:
Burning a marshmallow over a fire releases chemical energy as heat and light. This process is similar to the combustion of wood in a campfire, where heat is initiated by a match, and the wood undergoes a chemical reaction with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water vapor among other products. This exothermic reaction releases energy in the form of heat, which can be used for cooking or warmth, and as light, observable as flames.
In a similar chemical process, cells 'burn' glucose during cellular respiration, although this energy is mostly captured in a molecule called ATP, and less is released as heat compared to a campfire, and none as light. The chemical changes that occur when burning a marshmallow involve the breaking and forming of molecular bonds, and although it may seem like matter is destroyed, the mass of matter still exists before and after the burn, just in different forms.