The picture above is a thermogravimetric analysis instrument. Thermogravimetric analysis is a qualitative technique which looks at a materials mass loss with increasing temperature. It can be valuable if used in conjunction with methods such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) in order to not only investigate a weight loss due to degradation or decomposition upon thermal changes, but also to distinguish what chemical structures are given off.
Depicted below is a TGA scan of a proprietary block copolymer. As you can see, the sample mass decreases with rising temperature because things are being degraded at higher temperatures. The same concept holds true for burning wood; when the material is finished burning, the ashes weight less than the original wood.
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