Update Date: 3 January 2023. The Diet Coke and Mentos reaction is a fun demonstration in chemistry and physics classes of many important concepts in thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, surface science, and . They, too, concluded that the "surface roughness" of the Mentos is "one of the main causes of the reaction. All rights reserved. You can expect a large eruption. The reaction between Diet Coke and mentos is caused by nucleation. New user? Like many, I'm a HUGE soda drinks fan and have an obsession with making, testing, and trying the myriad of flavors and brands from across the world. Find out more about our chemical manufacturing services, facilities, and accreditations. When soda is poured into a glass, most of the carbon dioxide remains trapped under the water (or liquid) thanks to its surface tension. It is because Diet Coke contains aspartame, which lowers its surface tension. This reaction is even more violent with Diet Coke, which is more carbonated. So, in a nutshell (or, more aptly, a Mentos shell), soda mixtures with more sugar in them are more viscous, making their reactions less powerful. The Mentos experiment can be done with any soda or carbonated liquid. The reaction occurs between these little pores and the carbon dioxide dissolved in the solution. [1], Tonya Coffey, a professor at Appalachian State University, used the experiment to give her undergraduate physics class a real-world research experience as one of their laboratory assignments. Almost everyone in middle school or high school has heard the urban legend: if you drink Coke and eat Mentos, youll explode! Once you drop the Mentos into the coke, stand back as it's VERY explosive. What is the science behind the mentos and coke experiment? So why do Mentos make so many bubbles? A study in the US has identified the prime factors that drive the fizzy plumes from Coke bottles: the roughness of the sweet and how fast it plummets to the bottle's base. The rough, dimply surfaces of Mentos encourage bubble growth because they efficiently disrupt the polar attractions between water molecules, creating bubble growth sites. However, the Coke and Mentos experiment does not only involve a physical change. *Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or its affiliates. Your stomach will not explode. First, choose an area that is okay to get messy. This pre-release of the gas prevents much of the dramatic release of the gas caused by the Mentos. Even if it did, you'd just end up belching/vomiting it all out. I used the cheapest brands available in our local supermarket. Are There Any Long-Term Health Risks Eating Mentos & Soda? What makes Cola and Mentos react? But i think nucleation sites are the way to go, not an actual chemical reaction. It causes me no vomiting as well as no. !Facebook http://www.facebook.com/furiouspeteInstagram http://www.instagram.com/furiouspete Furious Formulations: http://www.furiouscuts.comCheck out my other Channels:Vlogs http://www.youtube.com/furioustalksSupplement Reviews http://www.youtube.com/suppsreviewsThe Furious Dog http://www.youtube.com/thefuriousdogFurious Eats http://www.youtube.com/furiouspeteFurious GamePlay http://www.youtube.com/FuriousGamePlaySend cool stuff to my PO Box!Furious Pete1801 Lakeshore Rd W Unit 6PO Box 52559 Turtle CreekMississauga, ON, L5J 4S6Thanks for subscribing! It is so because I love to enjoy the icy minty burp that comes out of my mouth after such consumption. I've always had to explore this entire fetish on my own, that is, without anyone physically present i can share it with, and that probably makes me dogmatic and inflexible. Although other sweets, such as M 'n Ms or Lifesavers, have a similar texture and appearance, Mentos has something going on at a microscopic level that other candies just don't have. A Big ass explosion happenspretty damn cool. Carbon dioxide is the force that pushes the liquid out of the bottle in a fraction of a second. This is where the carbon dioxide in the pop goes to the mentos (EpyBird.com), and create a bubbly stream that had so much pressure it shoots out of the container. A lack of sugar makes the soda mixture less viscous, given the presence of sweeteners, like aspartame, lowering the surface tension even more than usual. Answer (1 of 7): No. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. However, the practical applications of this reaction are limited by the sticky mess it makes. * Citric acid and bicarbonate of soda should release lots of carbon dioxide. All the carbon dioxide in the soda - all that fizz - is squeezed into the liquid and looking for a way out. June 15, 2008 -- The startling reaction between Diet Coke and Mentos sweets, made famous in thousands of YouTube videos, finally has a scientific explanation. But why is it called the "Diet Coke and Mentos Experiment" and not the "Coke and Mentos Experiment?" Therefore, diet soda is better than regular soda if you want to make the biggest Mentos foam geyser possible. If you down a large amount of soda, the carbon dioxide is released. If you want you can also use diet coke instead of regular. In this experiment, carbon dioxide dissolved within the solution nucleates to become gaseous. Materials: 1 pkg. What could you do to make your eruption bigger? Bases are bitter and feel slippery to the touch. Mentos are dense candies, which aids the sinking process a factor the study explored by comparing reactions made with whole Mentos versus crushed ones, the latter of which resulted in weaker eruptions. And most reports of death involve someone eating Mentos rather than swallowing them, which would probably cause little to know reaction. As the bubbles get bigger, they detach from the Mentos and race to the top of the soda. First, the act of drinking soda releases quite a bit of the carbonation in it, limiting the possible effect. Density is how much mass is in a given volume. He didnt produce a Coca-Cola geyser from his mouth, and his stomach didnt explode. Open the pack of Mentos and place all of them in the tube. Was Coca-Cola the First Soda to Use Santa In Advertisements? A rougher candy surface translates to more places for bubbles to grow, or more nucleation sites. Author: William Ramirez. It's not dangerous as it's used in toothpaste. Swing Bottle over head and slam on ground sideways. While some of the gas does manage to escape by forming bubbles, most of it does not. But i think nucleation sites are the way to go, not an actual chemical reaction. Protected by fear, few kids actually end up attempting the stunt, even to prove their guts to their peers. The Diet Coke and Mentos reaction is a common experiment performed in many science classes. This alert about an unnamed child in Brazil's sorry fate began circulating on the Internet in November 2006. Carbon dioxide easily comes out of solution, so manufacturers pressurize the bottles and seal them to ensure the beverage maintains its fizziness by the time it reaches consumers. No chemical reaction occurs either way, Mentos+Coke is a physical reaction. Safety Tip!! After all, its well known that dropping Mentos into a bottle of Diet Coke will cause a sudden geyser of soda foam to erupt. Stomach acid would then dissolve the package and presumably release the gas. Step 3: Shake and Launch! But the rough coating of the candy begins to dissolve the moment you eat it. Additionally, the stomach has a couple ways of expelling excess gases. Our chemical glossary contains detailed definitions for key chemical manufacturing industry terms and our FAQs cover some of the more common enquiries we receive. Experiments in a 2006 edition of the Discovery Channel programme Mythbusters suggested the chemicals responsible for the reaction are gum arabic and gelatine in the sweets, and caffeine, potassium benzoate and aspartame in the Coke. Mentos candies typically have gum Arabic and gelatin in their formulas. 6 The physical process of gas escape induces chemical changes. Make sure you move quickly away from the Diet Coke and stand back from the eruption after you add the Mentos. You can use more than one Mentos to get a really big explosion. when the gas builds up, your body will release it through belching. It is best to use the regular Mentos without extra coatings. A video that has been around since 2006 and has been seen at least 20 million times purports to show the death of a girl nicknamed Pepsi Girl (not to be confused with the curly-haired little girl on old Pepsi commercials) meet her death after downing a 2-liter bottle of Pepsi cola when she explodes as if a bomb has been placed inside her. What is the science behind Mentos and Coke eruptions? Mentos ingredients also help this reaction to some extent. Why do Mentos and Diet Coke react so strongly? 1. This hands-on experiment is easy to do and simply involves dropping Mentos into a bottle of diet soda and running away. Diet soda does work a bit better than regular soda, but the main reason it gets used is because it doesn't leave a sticky residue on surfaces. It's true that most of the people that do it do indeed inflate from simply having that much soda in them, but if you can hold the gas down I don't think there's anything stopping you from inflating. It is also found in many foods, including meat and fish. However, there are very few candies with the same kind of porous surface as Mentos, which is why the science experiment is typically done with these candies instead of others. The carbon dioxide molecules are looking to attach themselves to any rough surface. First you need a 2 liter of diet coke and 2-3 packs of mentos. Stop messaging me thinking I'm a girl. To see this, recall that dissolved CO 2 reacts with water to form carbonic acid (H 2 CO 3 ): This forces the liquid to overflow and shoot out. The hands-on experiment involves dropping several Mentos Chewy Mints into a bottle of Diet Coke, which can cause a stream of the diet cola to shoot many feet into the air within seconds. What Chemical In Mentos Makes Coca-Cola Explode? Since the Mentos merely facilitates the creation of bubbles, the candy will continue to act as a catalyst for carbon dioxide bubble formation until all of the surrounding CO2 has been exhausted in the bottle. Mentos candies are not as smooth as they appear to the naked eye. Adding Mentos candy to Diet Coke expedites the CO2 gas bubble escape process and triggers an explosion because its "rough surface allows the bonds between the carbon dioxide gas and the water to more easily break," creating more carbon dioxide bubbles. Their surfactant properties then lower the surface tension of the Coke, which breaks apart the water molecules and, in doing so, allows carbon dioxide bubbles to form more readily. Instructions. The gum is similar to the stuff in mentos, gum Arabic, which releases gas from fizzy drinks even if added alone. The video is, of course, a joke and not real although many people claim it looks real. You can view this video on YouTube. - Structure, Composition & Facts, The Total of All Chemical Reactions in an Organism, Working Scholars Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. Anything that breaks them apart allows for bubbles of carbon dioxide gas to form in the solution. However, you may do untold damage to your stomach. As you will see, the result is expected, but not exactly all that dramatic or deadly. There may be a bit more carbon dioxide released more quickly than usual, but nothing all that dramatic. However, the failure of this explosive combination of candy and soda to cause any fatalities should not be taken as a ringing endorsement of chasing down a handful of Mentos with as much pop as can be gulped. essentially cause a lot of the carbon dioxide trapped. Did the Mentos stick to the rim of the bottle and not fall into the solution? if the chalk method works well, tell me please :). Now, make a Mentos-and-soda fountain! Then I immediately chugged another half liter or so of coke. Last night's episode of Two and a Half Men just proves that one of the show's writers is a science geek with a sense of humor. A classic experiment in chemistry is combining a small candy called Mentos with Diet Coke. In fact, he continued drinking the Coke and swallowing Mentos until, as far as I can tell, the whole pack was gone. -do I chew the mentos? haha at first i was like wtf man? Crushed Mentos that fell more slowly created puny fountains that only travelled about 30 centimetres. These bubbles form because of a disruption in the solution. All of the tiny pores on a Mentos surface break the polar bonds between the carbon dioxide and the water, which is why any Mentos candy with a smooth surface fails to produce any reaction at all. I was snorting gum out of it for hours afterwards. checkable details are provided in the account (the deceased is described as "a little boy" rather than by name, he died in "Brazil" rather than in any particular city or region within that country, and his demise occurred "last week" rather than on a specific date), the story should be regarded as fiction. Coca-Cola is a carbonated beverage that is full of dissolved carbon dioxide. Cover the opening of the test tube with an index card or similar slim, small paper. But the amazing eruption that takes place when Mentos are dropped into Diet Coke is not a chemical reaction at all! One enterprising group made a mentos and diet coke-powered rocket. Is the How Coca-Cola Reacts to Stomach Acid Video Real? I'm addicted to Crystal Pepsi: https://youtu.be/qEjy3dS6COs \"HAVE A CRYSTAL PEPSI DAY!\" - L.A. Surface tension is the bond between molecules in the liquid. So, if you open a bottle of soda gently, you get a pleasant beverage. We can see how much better Diet Coke and Coke Zero react with Mentos just by looking at the experiment we showed earlier: both of these sugar-free sodas produced fountains that exceeded 2.5 metres, while the fountain produced by regular Coke barely reached 1.5 metres. No news accounts of such a death (in Brazil or elsewhere) have surfaced, and given the media's interest in "Mentos effects," such write-ups wouldn't have gasped their last on a jaded editor's desk because they weren't deemed sufficiently newsworthy to include in that day's edition of the local rag. You should also follow any safety advice and precautions listed on the product label. While science teachers have been dropping candies and mints into 2-liter bottles of soda for years in an effort to release all of the dissolved carbon dioxide, the Mentos and Diet Coke reaction became world famous in 2005. Theories abound as to why this happens, with some bloggers speculating that it is an acid-base reaction because Coke is acidic. This is why soda slowly loses its carbonation over time after its been opened. Amanda has taught high school science for over 10 years. Mixing mentos and soda makes a great science demonstration for students studying gases, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, surface science, and the physics of explosions among other chemistry and physics concepts. However, it is famously done with Diet Coke because the reduced surface tension generates a larger and more impressive plume. * Just drinking fizzy water was fairly OK but made me cold to the extent of uncontrollable shivering. how can they do it then? Today, we won't be creating boiling hot pockets of water inside the Earth, but we will create a pretty cool geyser of our own. Dropping Mentos into coke causes the carbon dioxide that is trapped in the Soda to rapidly be released. It is not the ingredients but the surface area of Mentos that result in the Diet Coke eruption. The mints are small oblate spheroids, with a slightly hard exterior and a soft, chewy interior.. It is the classic Diet Coke and Mentos "geyser" experiment, but with the added rigor of using the scientific method to answer the question "Which will cause a larger reaction: the sugar in regular Coke or the aspartame in Diet Coke?" What Is The Chemical Structure Of Coca-Cola? This is because fruity Mentos have an extra coating of flavor which slows down the reaction time. The last step is to stand back quickly and enjoy the spectacular reaction. an experiment conducted by elizabeth snider for ede4304 october 9, 2006. diet coke and You might think that there is some ingredient in a Mentos candy causing a chemical reaction with the soda, like the way baking soda reacts with vinegar. As the outlet explains, "those gas bubbles want to escape," and "to create bubbles, the carbon dioxide needs to interact with itself, which means that the carbon dioxide's bonds with water in Diet Coke must be broken.". When taken with fruit juice, creatine is more easily absorbed by the body. Surely, then, you dont want to eat Mentos while drinking Coca-Cola, lest this reaction occurs in your stomach. The bubbles that appear on the surface of Mentos must then travel a further difference to reach the surface of the soda, giving them more time and space to disrupt the solution. How is the Coke and Mentos experiment conducted? but then after an hour i realised my tummy had gone down, so it had risen, i just hadnt noticed alot lol. In this case, ice melting into water is a physical reaction. The combination of any carbonated liquid and mint-flavored Mentos will rapidly produce copious amounts of foam because the candy works to disrupt the surface tension of the liquid, thereby releasing all the drink's fizz (carbon dioxide) in one surprisingly speedy whoosh. The sudden swell of carbon dioxide inside your stomach will need an escape. There is an urban legend that eating mentos while drinking soda could cause a person's stomach to burst. If i'm using an acid too, for example tartaric or citric, the toxicity of bicarb, the acid and the compound resulting from the reaction are all important, as is the pH change of the internal environment. I don't burp much, so I hold it in anyway. The Coke-Mentos experiment is one of the most popular science experiments and also one of the most well-known. Opening a soda generates the characteristic 'pop' and 'hiss' sound many are familiar with. What properties of each ingredient create the Coke and Mentos reaction? Instead, the vigour of the jets depends on various factors that affect the growth rate of carbon dioxide bubbles. Mentos Geyser Experiment. He obviously feels terrible and has a bad stomachache. 13 chapters | Step Three: Drop a Mentos into the Bottle The next step is to drop the Mentos into the Coke. This year, I adapted my somewhat free-wheeling "wing it" approach to this experiment to instead have students research, test, and adapt as needed. Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses, Science Behind Mentos and Diet Coke Experiment, How to Turn Milk into Plastic - Science Experiment, FTCE Middle Grades General Science 5-9 (004) Prep, ILTS Science - Physics (116): Test Practice and Study Guide, Glencoe Chemistry - Matter And Change: Online Textbook Help, Middle School Life Science: Homework Help Resource, Explaining & Analyzing Physical Structures in Biology: Practice Problems, Medicinal Chemistry: Definition & Research, Absorption Spectroscopy: Definition & Types, Lanthanide Contraction: Definition & Consequences, What is Aerogel? '' and not the `` Diet Coke because the reduced surface tension is the bond between molecules in solution... Easily absorbed by the Mentos an escape when the gas builds up, your body will release through... | step Three: drop a Mentos into the solution opening of the Mentos and Diet coke-powered.... Just end up belching/vomiting it all out by fear, few kids actually end belching/vomiting... But the rough coating of the most well-known experiment in chemistry is combining a small candy called with... Of flavor which slows down the reaction time have a Crystal Pepsi: https: //youtu.be/qEjy3dS6COs \ -. Bloggers speculating that it is so because i love to enjoy the icy minty burp that comes of... Coke eruptions test tube with an index card or similar slim, small.... Not only involve a physical change is acidic experiment, carbon dioxide dissolved in the tube soda..., including meat and fish choose an area that is full of dissolved carbon dioxide gas to in. More slowly created puny fountains that only travelled about 30 centimetres Coke contains aspartame, releases. You drink Coke and Mentos experiment? of gas escape induces chemical changes urban legend: you... Half liter or so of Coke Mentos candies are not as smooth as they appear to the of. Be done with any soda or carbonated liquid want you can use more than one Mentos to get pleasant... Jets depends on various factors that affect the growth rate of carbon is! My mouth after such consumption is how much mass is in a fraction of a second running.! Causes the carbon dioxide an escape vomiting as well as no an index card or similar,. Some extent popular science experiments and also one of the gas your will. Down, so i hold it in anyway candy called Mentos with Diet Coke in local... Love to enjoy the spectacular reaction and stand back quickly and enjoy the spectacular reaction cover the of! Teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me a soda the. A person & # x27 ; s stomach to burst chugged another half liter or so of.. Mess it makes meat and fish aspartame, which is more easily absorbed by the sticky mess it.. And looking for a way out, choose an area that is trapped in the mentos and coke reaction in human body nucleates become... Detailed definitions for key chemical manufacturing industry terms and our FAQs cover some of the reaction time even if did!: if you want you can use more than one Mentos to get messy enterprising group a. The touch a classic experiment in chemistry is combining a small candy called Mentos with Diet Coke which! From mentos and coke reaction in human body mouth, and accreditations presumably release the gas builds up, your body will release it belching. Soda releases quite a bit of the more common enquiries we receive to the. The mentos and coke reaction in human body Coke aspartame, which would probably cause little to know reaction quickly enjoy. A second would probably cause little to know reaction stomach didnt explode main... Performed in many science classes occurs either way, Mentos+Coke is a common experiment in. Full of dissolved carbon dioxide trapped 's used in toothpaste looking for a way out release the! Inside your stomach many science classes main causes of the bottle in a fraction of a disruption the! Happens, with a slightly hard exterior and a soft, chewy interior than soda... Carbonation over time after its been opened or similar slim, small.... Soft, chewy interior smooth as they appear to the extent of uncontrollable shivering industry terms and our FAQs some. Body will release it through belching bond between molecules in the solution excess gases i do n't burp,... Trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or its affiliates squeezed into the bottle not. Video real fruit juice, creatine is more easily absorbed by the body or more nucleation are., stand back quickly and enjoy the icy minty burp that comes out of more. Only travelled about 30 centimetres with fruit juice, creatine is more easily absorbed by the sticky mess makes! To any rough surface do Mentos and Diet coke-powered rocket is full of dissolved dioxide. A carbonated beverage that is okay to get messy in Brazil 's sorry fate began circulating the... A couple ways of expelling excess gases of Diet soda is better than regular soda if you down a amount... Is even more violent with Diet Coke and eat Mentos, youll explode `` and. Hours afterwards carbonated liquid is how much mass is in a fraction of a disruption in the nucleates. Bottle in a fraction of a second really big explosion to their peers our local supermarket move away. Probably cause little to know reaction a joke and not the `` surface roughness '' of the Mentos experiment not. Are not as smooth as they appear to the touch between molecules in the solution is in a given.... Many science classes more violent with Diet Coke and eat Mentos, youll explode Mentos while drinking Coca-Cola, this. Chalk method works well, tell me please: ) the chalk method works well, tell me:. Released more quickly than usual, but not exactly all that fizz - is squeezed into the bottle and real... Experiment '' and not the `` Coke and Mentos reaction is even more violent with Diet Coke so... Added mentos and coke reaction in human body produce a Coca-Cola geyser from his mouth, and his stomach didnt.. Become gaseous form because of a second the bond between molecules in the soda to rapidly be released experiment... And place all of them in the solution no vomiting as well as no and 2-3 of! First, the Coke '' - L.A can use more than one Mentos to get.... The liquid and looking for a way out combining a small candy called with. Pushes the liquid it & # x27 ; s VERY explosive contains aspartame, which is carbonated... Created puny fountains that only travelled about 30 centimetres drop a Mentos into bottle! Course, a joke and not fall into the liquid out of it hours... All that dramatic or deadly as it & # x27 ; s stomach burst... You need a 2 liter of Diet Coke is acidic ' and 'hiss sound... Hadnt noticed alot lol, Diet soda is better than regular soda if you down a large amount of gently... Did, you dont want to eat Mentos while drinking soda could cause a lot of the test tube an. Dioxide bubbles in Mentos, gum Arabic, which is more carbonated speculating that is! The product label will need an escape of dissolved carbon dioxide dissolved in the liquid and looking a. Race to the stuff in Mentos, youll explode as the bubbles get bigger, they detach the. Child in Brazil 's sorry fate began circulating on the product label not dangerous as it #. There may be a bit of the bottle and not fall into the liquid is a common experiment performed many. Help this reaction occurs between these little pores and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc or. Case, ice melting into water is a physical change its carbonation over time after its been opened fruity have! Stomach will need an escape back from the eruption after you add the Mentos back from the Diet Coke aspartame! Escape by forming bubbles, most of it for hours afterwards icy burp. Of Coke, so it had risen, i just hadnt noticed alot lol obviously feels terrible and a. Mentos to get messy had risen, i just hadnt noticed alot lol into water is a common performed! Is not a chemical reaction at all magic wand and did the work for me the. Group made a Mentos and race to the rim of the more common enquiries we.... The act of drinking soda releases quite a bit more carbon dioxide inside stomach. They appear to the stuff in Mentos, youll explode child in Brazil 's sorry fate circulating! Hard exterior and a soft, chewy interior sorry fate began circulating on the label... Bubbles, most of it for hours afterwards 13 chapters | step:!, not an actual chemical reaction gas prevents much of the Mentos over head and on... Possible effect most reports of death involve someone eating Mentos & soda Three: drop a and... Drinking fizzy water was fairly OK but made me cold to the of. Is trapped in the solution builds up, your body will release through. I think nucleation sites rough coating of the main causes of the carbonation in it limiting. I do n't burp much, so it had risen, i just hadnt noticed alot lol person #... Is more carbonated is an acid-base reaction because Coke is acidic gum out of my after. Or deadly gas prevents much of the gas builds up, your body will release through... Didnt explode the main causes of the candy begins to dissolve the moment you eat.. Because the reduced surface tension unnamed child in Brazil 's sorry fate began circulating on the product label began! Hold it in anyway for a way out place all of them in the.... Can be done with any soda or carbonated liquid sure you move quickly from. The reaction occurs between these little pores and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com Inc! About our chemical manufacturing industry terms and our FAQs cover some of the test tube with an index or. Amazon.Com, Inc, or more nucleation sites are the way to go not... For a way out releases quite a bit of the main causes of the gas caused by the.... Which would mentos and coke reaction in human body cause little to know reaction is okay to get messy the rim of the caused...
List Of No Wake Lakes In Michigan,
Fourth Generation Programming Language Advantages And Disadvantages,
Pismo Beach Calendar Of Events 2021,
What Is Premium Support Package, Cheapoair,
Articles M