Maybe your stomach would explode! Learn about the Diet Coke and Mentos experiment and discover the science behind why Mentos react to soda. First, the act of drinking soda releases quite a bit of the carbonation in it, limiting the possible effect. "All enquiries are treated as confidential - we never share your details", "We provide comprehensive technical support with every enquiry", "Our manufacturing facility is accredited to ISO 9001, ISO 13485, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001", Explore Chemistry at the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre, Your Own Body Is Actually The Cause of Sunburn, This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. you got good ideas, let me know!WOOOOOW TELL ME WHAT TO POST NEXT!Youtube is F*cked they disabled comments! In a physical reaction, the physical state of a substance changes, but not its chemical makeup. The number of drops that can fit on each penny will depend upon the size of the bubble they form and their overall surface tension. The two biggest factors affecting the geyser are the roughness of the candy used and the rate at which it sinks to the bottom of the soda bottle. When combining Diet Coke and Mentos, one would get a physical reaction. Did the Mentos stick to the rim of the bottle and not fall into the solution? When this happens fast enough, you get a nice Diet Coke fountain. Coke and Mentos Reaction Lab Ingredients in the Mentos and Diet Coke and, more importantly, the structure of the Mentos, allow carbon dioxide bubbles to form extremely rapidly. A rougher candy surface translates to more places for bubbles to grow, or more nucleation sites. Diet coke and mentos are both calorie-rich drinks, which can contribute to weight gain. Put them either in capsules or little parcels of rice paper, which you then stick together with something. The "child who died from combining Mentos and Coca-Cola" story is an updating of an older legend that began in 1979. 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. The person doing it used a condom and a bottle of coke, and by the looks of it, if the mixture is in a pressurised vessel, such as a human digestive system, the gas starts redissolving into the liquid, so i don't think there's too much potential there. Place a piece of wax paper on top of the cutting board. This reaction is even more violent with Diet Coke, which is more carbonated. Since 2005 the Coke & Mentos reaction has been wow-ing children and adults everywhere - when it goes well! -which do I consume first? I don't burp much, so I hold it in anyway. However, the Coke and Mentos experiment does not only involve a physical change. When you drop a Mentos into the soda, tiny bumps on the candy surface give the carbon dioxide molecules a nucleation site or place to stick. Additionally, we do not recommend using any chemical without reading theMaterial Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), which can be obtained from the manufacturer. The engineer explains that the yellow nose cap is full of mentos, while the body is full of pressurized diet coke. Still not quite getting it? Next topic: Old 3 part inflation story. You can see the results of this yourself by crushing a Mentos and dropping it into a bottle, then comparing the reaction to the whole candy with all its pores intact. Collect the following materials: Place the pennies on a flat surface. One drop at a time, drop each liquid onto its own penny. This way, you can see which one erupts higher. I'll try more next time. All of these tricks help to improve the speed and drama of a Mentos eruption. Surfactants are compounds that lower the surface tension (or interfacial tension) between two liquids or between a liquid and a solid. It is best to use the regular Mentos without extra coatings. 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?" Non-diet cola doesn't work at all because of the sugar. Glad it worked for you. Furthermore, dropping the Mentos into the soda bottle with force to make it descend quickly will force more carbon dioxide through its small pores and make a faster reaction were more bubbles are created in a short amount of time. It's not dangerous as it's used in toothpaste. From left to right: action of five Mentos candies (per bottle) with Perrier, classic Coke, Sprite, and Diet Coke A Diet Coke and Mentos eruption (also known as a soda geyser) is a reaction between the carbonated beverage Diet Coke and Mentos mints that causes the beverage to be expelled from its container. Another classic scientific experiment that is often performed but uncommonly understood is the Diet Coke and Mentos Experiment. 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. Swing Bottle over head and slam on ground sideways. As you will see, the result is expected, but not exactly all that dramatic or deadly. This blog aims to bring you everything soda-related - so whether thats burning questions, tips, recipes, and even in-depth tutorials for making your own healthy soft drinks at home. Protected by fear, few kids actually end up attempting the stunt, even to prove their guts to their peers. The reaction between Diet Coke and mentos is caused by nucleation. The famous Mentos-Coca-Cola reaction is a phenomenon known as nucleation. 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. These microscopic irregularities on the Mentos' surface serve as nucleation sites where carbon dioxide bubbles form. Are There Any Long-Term Health Risks Eating Mentos & Soda? - Structure, Composition & Facts, The Total of All Chemical Reactions in an Organism, Working Scholars Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. When the Mythbusters performed this experiment, even dumping the contents of a Mentos and Cola fountain directly into the stomach did not cause it to burst. 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. Surfactants may act as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents, and dispersants. Buy chewing up the candy you have destroyed all the little pores that result in the large surface area responsible for the nucleation reaction. Mentos have a good bit of mass in their tiny shape, causing them to sink to the bottom of the Diet Coke. Pop a bottle and have a browse. Since no. When Mentos react with Coca-Cola, the following reaction is explosive, rapidly forming a fountain of pressurised Coke that then spurts out of the bottleneck and shoots into the air. While mentos may seem smooth to the naked eye, their surface is riddled with dimples and bumps under close examination. What happened when you added the Mentos to the Diet Coke? Creatine is an amino acid that is naturally produced in the body and helps to supply energy to cells. Mentos are also fairly dense and sink rapidly, quickly creating bubbles that seed further bubbles as they rise. While it was happening, it was frightening and i thought i was going to choke. Likewise, with regard to "One year before the same accident happened with another boy in Brazil," once again the news is silent regarding such a death. Answer (1 of 43): I use to consume these both simultaneously. There's a lot of carbon dioxide dissolves in the soda, which gives it its fizz. Not surprising from a fellow who doesnt think people actually buy Mentos casually. No Dude, they just make them for Coca-Cola experiments. Ok, so I was curious about this as well. It is almost certainly not true that anyone has ever died from doing this. if the chalk method works well, tell me please :). You press it onto a heap of half-capsules of one side, press an identical one onto a heap of the other half of capsules, cover one layer in powder and place the other one precisely on top of it, capsules down. Diet Coke is the best soda to use for this experiment because it has aspartame, which lowers its surface tension or ability to hold itself together. The MythBusters performed just such an experiment using a pigs stomach. One reason is their large surfacetovolume ratio, which allows millions of bubbles to form from each piece. 2. That way you can do maybe a hundred at once. Line up the soda bottles next to each other, so that you have one bottle of Diet Coke and one bottle of some other diet soda (or whatever other soda you want to test) next to each other. It is likely that these stories are exaggerated and have been spread on the Internet for entertainment purposes. Buy chewing up the candy you have destroyed all the little pores that result in the large surface area responsible for the nucleation reaction. However, i think it's a case of using a relatively inert powder with something carbonated. Version 1 - Mentos and Diet Coke vs. Mentos and other diet sodas. I could feel my belly expanding to the point of discomfort. They also compared reactions using other fizzy liquids such as caffeine-free and sugary colas, as well as soda water and tonic water. Dropping Mentos into coke causes the carbon dioxide that is trapped in the Soda to rapidly be released. There is an urban legend that eating mentos while drinking soda could cause a person's stomach to burst. 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. First you need a 2 liter of diet coke and 2-3 packs of mentos. How To Get Rid of White Spots on Stainless Steel Pans. The sudden swell of carbon dioxide inside your stomach will need an escape. Hold Bottle by top with one hand place around the neck so that the bottle is upside down. This spectacle is mainly caused by a physical reaction that rapidly releases the dissolved carbon dioxide from the beverage. Mentos candies are not as smooth as they appear to the naked eye. Was Coca Cola the only Soft Drink to Contain Cocaine? And most reports of death involve someone eating Mentos rather than swallowing them, which would probably cause little to know reaction. The Diet Coke and Mentos experiment results from the nucleation of carbon dioxide from liquid to gas. The results showed that Diet Coke created the most spectacular explosions with either fruit or mint Mentos, the fountains travelling a horizontal distance of up to 7 metres. The mint Mentos mixed with diet coke usually explodes the longer and higher while fruit Mentos has a more delayed and less impressive reaction. Both of these ingredients lower the surface tension of the soda, which exacerbates the bubbling reaction and makes the geyser happen much more quickly. Shake bottle so that mentos and Diet Coke mix. Density is how much mass is in a given volume. After a lot of debate, scientists are now saying that the primary cause of Coke & Mentos geysers is a physical reaction, not a chemical reaction. Thread the trailing string length through the bottle cap. This forces the liquid to overflow and shoot out. That year, the grist being run through the rumor mill included the sad tale of. 2. The rough, dimply surfaces of Mentos encourage bubble growth because they efficiently disrupt the polar attractions between water molecules, creating bubble growth sites. 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. If I was, I doubt I would even talk to you anyway. A Diet Coke bottle is opened and secured to a flat surface in an easily cleanable area in the experiment. If enough candies are thrown into a bottle of Coke, the geyser is created since all the bubbles simple pile atop one another on their journey out of the confined space of the bottle. At the same time, the experiment is not clean so we could assume that a less violent reaction occurs than when the experiment is done in a bottle. I will, but i have to wait until i can get hold of some. Do not try such experiments yourself though. He obviously feels terrible and has a bad stomachache. I'm addicted to Crystal Pepsi: https://youtu.be/qEjy3dS6COs \"HAVE A CRYSTAL PEPSI DAY!\" - L.A. When i inflate using pumps, Plavini and the like, i manage up to thirty litres equivalent at atmospheric pressure. Procedure: -. But as it stands, all youll experience if you drink Coke and eat Mentos is some mild discomfort and possibly some embarrassing vomiting. The short answer is that eating Mentos by chewing them up while drinking Coca-Cola, or any other soda, will little to no effect. Add the Mentos and stand back to watch an eruption of soda burst from the bottle. [1] Other factors that affect the growth rate or total number of carbon dioxide bubbles also changed the geyser's height, such as temperature and the original surface tension of the soda. A chemical reaction occurs when a substance transforms into a different substance. Here's What Really Causes Diet Coke And Mentos To React. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. The Diet Coke and Mentos experiments turn a sugar-free cola beverage and chewy candies into a geyser. Since the escaping gas either comes out in the form of a long burp or in foam thats expelled through vomiting, the issue basically stops once the soda has evacuated your stomach in one way or another. Just as when you shake a soda up before opening it, frothy soda bubbles spew forth and out of the bottle, only the reaction is much more pronounced and is able to cause a huge geyser of froth, sometimes over ten feet high. Diet Coke will work better than regular Coke for this experiment. Scooping up powder and cramming it into them for an hour sucks :/. Surface tension allows a cup to be filled with water past its brim. Next, get ready to drop your Mentos into the Diet Coke. He was claimed to have died after eating Pop Rocks candy with soda. Drill a small hole through the lid of the bottle using a hand drill or a nail. *Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or its affiliates. This is because diet sodas have aspartame whereas regular soda usually does not. When the force applied to the liquid is greater than the surface tension, that surface breaks. Diet soda stereotypically has a better reaction than regular soda. All the carbon dioxide in the soda - all that fizz - is squeezed into the liquid and looking . Mentos ingredients also help this reaction to some extent. Was Coca-Cola the First Soda to Use Santa In Advertisements? Thankfully, theres already a well-known escape hatch located at your mouth. This lesson analyzes this classic experiment in more detail to understand the following learning objectives: To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Another factor is that the coatings of Mentos contain gum arabic, a surfactant that further reduces surface tension in the liquid. Students in Dr. Tonya Coffey's Appalachian State University's physics class tested the science behind the volatile Mentos/Diet Coke reaction, publishing their results in the American Journal of Physicsin 2008. Why is Diet Coke a better choice for this experiment than other sodas? Place the soda bottle outside in and area that can get dirty. A study reveals why Mentos and Coke can be a dangerous combination. The formation of carbon dioxide bubbles is like a chain reaction that exponentially accumulates, causing pressure to build in a fraction of a second. The resulting effect is quick, high, and explosive, yet what takes place is not a chemical reaction but a physical one (even though some are moved to believe the confection's gum arabic component or diet soda's aspartame has something to do with the process). If you want you can also use diet coke instead of regular. This is because as they rise, they disrupt the solution on their way to the surface, allowing more carbon dioxide to escape from the solution. The "child who died from combining Mentos and Coca-Cola" story is an updating of an older legend that began in 1979. In order to re-create the effect in your stomach, which you definitely should not do, you would have to drink a large amount of Coca-Cola and then quickly swallow one or two Mentos whole. Please contact for permissions. When analyzing my new approach to this time . Step 3: Shake and Launch! There once was a rumor that two children had died because they ate Mentos and drank Coca-Cola at the same time. Plus, some folks swear diet sodas make for higher geysers. It's been called the "vinegar and baking soda" reaction for a new generation. I think the cracks in the mentos will disappear during consumption. Imagine a glass that's being filled with water a single drop at a time. Theoretically speaking, any candy that has enough small pores like Mentos should be able to do this job. an experiment conducted by elizabeth snider for ede4304 october 9, 2006. diet coke and 4. Essentially, surface tension is the ability of a liquid to stick together due to its molecular properties. But what causes this reaction? * Just drinking fizzy water was fairly OK but made me cold to the extent of uncontrollable shivering. The candy's shell is pocked with little nooks and crannies the beverage's carbon dioxide molecules are immediately drawn to, and the confection's relatively large surface area provides infinitely more such nooks and crannies (nucleation sites) than, say, an M&M would. I then quickly swallowed whole 3 mint mentos, using a small ammount of water to chase them down quickly. Additionally, diet sodas produce bigger reactions than regular sodas, because diet sodas such as Diet Coke contain potassium benzoate and the artificial sweetener, aspartame, as opposed to sugar or corn syrup. As well, he didnt have the entire contents of a 2-liter bottle of Coke in his stomach, something that is very difficult to achieve. I'll try more next time. In an . 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