Why do mentos cause soda to explode

A soda geyser why do mentos cause soda to explode a physical reaction between a carbonated beverage, usually Diet Cokeand Mentos mints that causes the beverage to be expelled from its container. The candies catalyze the release of gas from the beverage, which creates an eruption that pushes most of the liquid up and out of the bottle. The tubes of candies were threaded onto a pipe cleaner and dropped into the soft drink to create a geyser. At the end of the s, the manufacturer of Wintergreen Lifesavers increased the size of the mints, and they no longer fit in the mouth of soda bottles.

Skip to content. Carbonated beverages have carbon dioxide CO 2 in them. If you shake a can of Coke vigorously before you open it, the effect is similar to dropping Mentos in: the Coke shoots out in a narrow stream. The CO 2 is dissolved in the Coke under pressure. Gases, including CO 2 , can dissolve into liquids much like sugar or salt can. But the amount of gas that will dissolve into a liquid depends on the pressure that the gas and liquid are under. At atmospheric pressure about 15 psi , only a small amount of CO 2 will dissolve into Coke.

Why do mentos cause soda to explode

What causes Coke to explode when Mentos are added to it? One would think that there must be a chemical reaction that causes the Coke and Mentos reaction to be so attractive and satisfying. The gas tries to escape and form bubbles around any irregular surface, called a nucleation site. Mentos also have nucleation sites because they are not as smooth as they appear. When added to Coke, the dissolved gas pushes the liquid out of the container at a super-fast speed in the form of bubbles. The candies simply catalyze the release of gas from the Coke bottle. Therefore, the chemical reaction between Coke and Mentos, in reality, is a physical reaction. No matter how messy or sticky the experiment is, there are only two ingredients required to make this geyser. One bottle of 2-liter fizzy drink, preferably Diet Coke, and Mentos are needed in an adequate quantity to give a spectacular reaction. For a 2-liter bottle of Coke, at least five Mentos are good enough. Moreover, all Mentos must be added to the drink simultaneously, giving each of them equal time to create an effect. The pressure is lower and carbon dioxide does not nucleate. However, kids are not advised and should not do such a thing, as their stomachs are not powerful enough to absorb this physical reaction.

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Why do mentos cause soda to explode

By Science Buddies. If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. Key concepts Chemistry Physics Materials science Carbonation Physical reactions Explosions Introduction Have you ever seen the Diet Coke and Mentos experiment that is all over the Internet and wondered what makes the reaction work? You might think that there is some ingredient in a Mentos candy that causes a chemical reaction with the soda pop, like the way baking soda reacts with vinegar. But the amazing eruption that takes place when Mentos are dropped into Diet Coke or other brands of diet soda pop is not a chemical reaction at all! Instead it is a physical reaction. That means that all of the pieces of the reaction are there, but that they are simply rearranged.

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Retrieved July 24, Wrap the paper around the pack of Mentos to make a tube. Water molecules are polar and attracted to each other. 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. Soda geysters, which can reach as high as ten meters, were a popular subject for viral videos in the early 's, but the science behind the spectacle remained a mystery until University of Hawaii at Hilo. Mentos tablets contain thousands of these nucleation points and when dropped into Coke, they allow the bubbles to form almost instantaneously. Modal Gallery Close. Key concepts Chemistry Physics Materials science Carbonation Physical reactions Explosions Introduction Have you ever seen the Diet Coke and Mentos experiment that is all over the Internet and wondered what makes the reaction work? Discovery Channel. That means that all of the pieces of the reaction are there, but that they are simply rearranged.

A carbonated beverage is packed full of dissolved carbon dioxide gas, which forms chemical bonds with water. While the soda is in the bottle, the gas is kept in solution by the bottle's pressurized conditions.

They are covered in bumpy craters, which increases the total surface area. The tubes of candies were threaded onto a pipe cleaner and dropped into the soft drink to create a geyser. Sign up Log in. Surfactants are compounds that lower the surface tension or interfacial tension between two liquids or between a liquid and a solid. Contents move to sidebar hide. That release can happen at the surface of the liquid, or, the CO 2 can form bubbles that will rise to the top of the liquid and escape. The crushed Mentos candies, however, are not as dense as the whole ones, which causes them to sink more slowly, creating a relatively small cola fountain, which should also leave more liquid in the bottle than the larger eruption with whole Mentos candies did. If you could look at the straw, pipe cleaner, and Mento with a super-strong microscope you would see that they have tiny dents, scratches, and bumps on them. Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes. Anything that breaks them apart allows for bubbles of carbon dioxide gas to form in the solution. Quickly pull out the flat index card, releasing the crushed Mentos into the bottle, then step back without tipping the bottle over or disturbing the reaction. As the Mentos candy sinks in the bottle, the candy causes the production of more and more carbon dioxide bubbles, and the rising bubbles react with carbon dioxide that is still dissolved in the soda to cause more carbon dioxide to be freed and create even more bubbles, resulting in the eruption. Up next. February 28,