Bases are bitter and feel slippery to the touch. For instance, if citric acid is added to a soda mixture, the fountain height will actually increase to up to six times its normal height. The average reaction time for regular coke was 2.1 seconds at 0 degrees, and reduced to 1.1 seconds at 80 degrees. The engineer explains that the yellow nose cap is full of mentos, while the body is full of pressurized diet coke. They are dense and sink. Regular soda uses sugar or corn syrup to derive most of its sweetening flavor, but diet soda eschews these ingredients in the name of fewer calories and better health. 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. Second, even if one did get a strong reaction to eating and drinking Mentos and Diet Coke at the same time, you'd likely just quickly vomit up the foam, which there have been numerous recorded instances of. Open the soda and place the index card over the bottle opening. Vomiting in excess is never a good sign since stomach acid wears away the cells of the esophagus and can cause mouth or throat cancer. The reaction occurs between these little pores and the carbon dioxide dissolved in the solution. 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. Your stomach is surrounded by many other internal organs that shift normally when you eat a large meal. A Mentos dropped into a bottle of soda acts as a surfactant, meaning it reduces the surface tension of the soda. 3. Just getting the Mentos into your stomach will likely disrupt some of the surface. I pack, and 1-2 cans mountain dew. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. Thankfully, theres already a well-known escape hatch located at your mouth. Finally, making your soda bottle warmer instead of colder will make the geyser higher and faster. What they found was what I suspected, that the actual act of drinking the soda released much of the carbon dioxide. Creatine can be taken as a supplement to help improve athletic performance and increase muscle mass. The other thing that happened was that the gas came straight back up and made me belch huge clouds of powder. NEW CHALLENGE and it turned put great. 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. Don't worry, legitimate scientists have actually studied this thing. You should also follow any safety advice and precautions listed on the product label. The surface tension of the water allowed it to fill above the rim of the glass. [RAMUNE SODA FLAVORS], Will Soda Cans Explode in Checked Baggage? The bubbles are carbon dioxide, and when the soda is pressurized, it can hold more carbon dioxide. Instructions. Using tartaric acid might work better. I tried it aboutan hour ago, still no inflation results so far, I had 1 pack of mentos and a can of pepsi max (does pepsi max work?) The bubbles of nucleated gases that result from the surface of Mentos generate more bubbles to form. essentially cause a lot of the carbon dioxide trapped. Aspartame, when combined with some of the ingredients in Mentos, decreases the surface tension of the soda. In effect, you have rendered the candy harmlessits just candy. That year, the grist being run through the rumor mill included the sad tale of. Surfactants are compounds that lower the surface tension (or interfacial tension) between two liquids or between a liquid and a solid. If drops are continually added, this bubble will grow and continually burst, spilling water down the sides of the glass. So, if you open a bottle of soda gently, you get a pleasant beverage. It doesn't matter if the liquid contains sugar or not. Dropping metos into diet coke causes a "soda geyser". * Citric acid and bicarbonate of soda should release lots of carbon dioxide. It is a physical reaction rather than a chemical one. Sodium bicarbonate can throw your acid-base balance way out and kill you. We dropped two Mentos into a bottle of normal Cola and Diet Cola. The blog, its authors, and affiliates cannot be held responsible for any accident, injury or damage caused in part or directly from using the information provided. They are so small you cant even see them, but they number in the thousands, at least. Diet Coke makes a better spectacle than regular Coca-Cola because both aspartame and benzonatate (a preservative used in artificially sweetened drinks) lower surface tension more than sugar does. June 15, 2008 — -- The startling reaction between Diet Coke and Mentos sweets, made famous in thousands of YouTube videos, finally has a scientific explanation. Since 2005 the Coke & Mentos reaction has been wow-ing children and adults everywhere - when it goes well! One drop at a time, drop each liquid onto its own penny. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. 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. Mentos are also fairly dense and sink rapidly, quickly creating bubbles that seed further bubbles as they rise. And if you add a big enough surfactant, you get a geyser. The 6"5 Beachball, Helium balloon, heck whatever is here! It could easily have got quite serious, i think. 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. No chemical reaction occurs either way, Mentos+Coke is a physical reaction. "Middle-school teachers are getting their students out onto the baseball field next to their school and doing this reaction, and their students love it," says Coffey. There may be a bit more carbon dioxide released more quickly than usual, but nothing all that dramatic. in action:. Why is Diet Coke a better choice for this experiment than other sodas? This led to the gum shooting up my nose and sticking there. 3. If I was, I doubt I would even talk to you anyway. So, any rough surface inside the bottle will cause the carbon dioxide molecules to cluster together in a process called nucleation, which forms bubbles. Most Coca-Cola is kept carbonated by a sealed bottle, which creates a pressurized environment where the carbonated gas cant escape until the cap has been broken off or opened. Video Instruction. This pre-release of the gas prevents much of the dramatic release of the gas caused by the Mentos. There is an urban legend that eating mentos while drinking soda could cause a person's stomach to burst. People will do anything for YouTube views, so you can watch a dimwit do this experiment here. Log in here. The eruption you get when you mix Mentos and Coke is generated by the rough coating of the candy, which causes lots of bubbles to form rapidly on its surface when it's placed in a carbonated beverage. Thus, the process represented in Equation 1 - which powers the Coke and Mentos fountain - is a physical change. stomach capacity, of carbon dioxide from bicarb, you need about a quarter of a mole of it, which is twenty-one grammes. The reaction is caused by a process called nucleation, whereby the carbon dioxide in the soda is attracted to dozens of tiny pores on the surface of the Mentos, causing so much pressure that the . Acids and bases are common classes of chemicals that react with each other and with water. Anything can cause nucleation, like a lemon or a jelly bean. Once you drop the Mentos into the coke, stand back as it's VERY explosive. Origins: Mentos, a candy that has a soft, chewy interior encased in a slightly hard shell, is no longer just for noshing on when combined with a carbonated beverage in a closed environment that. Chalk doesn't dissolve in water, so it should provide nucleation sites without getting soggy. Mentos dont only react with Coca-Cola. Surfactants may act as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents, and dispersants. However, you may do untold damage to your stomach. If you shake the can first, you disrupt the solution and get a face full of soda. This is a fun and exciting experiment designed for 3rd-6th graders. this big guy just dropped another BOOMIN video so like it up. This is complete nonsense! That way you can do maybe a hundred at once. Whats up people. There's a plastic layer with holes in. First you need a 2 liter of diet coke and 2-3 packs of mentos. If you want you can also use diet coke instead of regular. Hold Bottle by top with one hand place around the neck so that the bottle is upside down. If this were the case, eating Mentos and drinking soda may indeed be dangerous. I think the cracks in the mentos will disappear during consumption. 1. In this case, ice melting into water is a physical reaction. do with the outside." Here's what they found. She is a current PhD student in biology at Wake Forest University, and has been teaching undergraduate students biology for the last three years. Their explanation is this process called nucleation. Additionally, SodaPopCraft.com participates in other affiliate programs, Clickbank, CJ, ShareAsale and other sites and we sometimes get a commission through purchases made through our links. 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. Then drink a little over half slowly in give or take 2 min. 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. -which do I consume first? If too much of the fizz escapes before you add the mento the reaction . http://bit.ly/SubFuriousTalks Subscribe to Furious Pete http://bit.ly/Sub2FuriousPete Food Challenge Related VideosBig Timmy Burger Challenge https://youtu.be/dKjtVqLLLR0100 Chicken Nugget Challenge https://youtu.be/pGeww1tXANIEnglish Breakfast Challenge https://youtu.be/0ljdFTmT0VA200 Wings Q\u0026A w/ Furious Pete https://youtu.be/Y_ruvq7Ft9cTop Ten Burger Challenges https://youtu.be/BqRrZUhr00gFollow Me! The famous Mentos-Coca-Cola reaction is a phenomenon known as nucleation. (It's not just Diet Coke and Mentos that react; other carbonated Acids are often sour tasting. However, this stomach did swell up a lot which would probably result in vomiting, just as we saw in the YouTube video. After all, its well known that dropping Mentos into a bottle of Diet Coke will cause a sudden geyser of soda foam to erupt. What Chemical In Mentos Makes Coca-Cola Explode? You can't swallow them whole and the saliva is going to soften and dissolve the irregularities. So you won't get the same reaction in your stomach. Why Do We Say a Fifth of Whiskey, Rum, or Vodka? No evidence was ever found that this story was true. I dunno, I've chewed up a mentos and dropped it in soda- still fizz's just fine. On the wax paper, carefully use the knife to crush and cut four Mentos candies into many small pieces, as shown in Figure 2 below. When this happens fast enough, you get a nice Diet Coke fountain. Buy chewing up the candy you have destroyed all the little pores that result in the large surface area responsible for the nucleation reaction. The Mentos' surface area is conducive to carbon dioxide nucleation from the solution. I'm addicted to Crystal Pepsi: https://youtu.be/qEjy3dS6COs \"HAVE A CRYSTAL PEPSI DAY!\" - L.A. Theoretically speaking, any candy that has enough small pores like Mentos should be able to do this job. Create your account. Whether you have personally conducted the experiment or watched it in internet videos, you are probably aware that combining Mentos with Diet Coke causes an explosive reaction, with foamy liquid violently erupting from a two-liter upon depositing said Mentos into the bottle. However, i think it's a case of using a relatively inert powder with something carbonated. Then I immediately chugged another half liter or so of coke. 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. Gas becomes much less soluble in warmer environments; cold soda stifles the gas creation effect and will make your geyser weaker. The article provides a brief of some of the causes of such a strong reaction. The Truth About Raspberry or Strawberry Flavor from Beaver Glands. Hypothesis: If three Mentos are dropped into a 2-liter of Diet Coke, Diet 7-Up, and Dr Thunder, then the Diet Coke will have the largest reaction to the Mentos. Additionally, the stomach has a couple ways of expelling excess gases. 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. There once was a rumor that two children had died because they ate Mentos and drank Coca-Cola at the same time. Use the needle to thread the string through four Mentos, leaving a 10cm length of sting trailing off the Mentos Bundle. The last step is to stand back quickly and enjoy the spectacular reaction. Various types of carbonated beverages react differently with Mentos: Seltzer water has the weakest reaction while, very specifically, Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper has the strongest reaction. The results of the experiment are shown in the illustration below: The types of solutes in the soda mixture also have effects on the height of the fountain. But it shouldnt be a regular trick in your party repertoire. This keeps the bubble growth going. 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. A yard or large patio (without furniture nearby) with a sturdy, flat surface will work great. All the reactions took place in a bottle angled at 10 off vertical and the fountain trajectories were recorded on video. -does pepsi max work as a substitute for diet coke? Further versions of the story specified the deceased youngster was the taciturn "Mikey" of LIFE cereal commercials. Thousands of microscopic carbon dioxide bubbles accumulate in these pockets, which then leaves gaps inside the bottle. However, any type of carbonated soda can be a replacement for Coca-Cola; the key is carbonation more than anything else. Soda geysters, which can reach as high as ten meters, were a popular subject for viral videos in the early 2000's, but the science behind the spectacle remained a mystery until 2008. 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. Non-diet cola doesn't work at all because of the sugar. Their explanation is this process called nucleation. Essentially, surface tension is the ability of a liquid to stick together due to its molecular properties. 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. This is a messy experiment. Forgot password? It's every 8th grader's dream either you spew a volcano of soda or you explode. 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. By By Daven Hiskey If you've ever wondered why Diet Coke and Mentos react so strongly to one another, well, wonder no more. Surface tension is the bond between molecules in the liquid. 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. Example: [Collected on the Internet, 2006]. A few questions i would like answering: -how much of each should i consume? For instance, most students are familiar with baking soda and vinegar volcanos, have dabbled in watering plants with different types of liquid, and have attempted to make a battery out of a potato. "This was a good project for my students to study because there was still some mystery to it.". 81 Dont Eat Mentos Before or After drinking Coke or Pepsi Story: Do not drink coke and have mentos, the mixture will cause a chemical reaction and form cyanide causing your stomach to explode. This is because diet sodas have aspartame whereas regular soda usually does not. 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? I was snorting gum out of it for hours afterwards. However, none of the ingredients in mentos are basic, and the experiment works to some degree with any type of soda and any type of candy. The Coke-Mentos experiment is one of the most popular science experiments and also one of the most well-known. If you looked at it with a microscope, it would look pitted, just like a golf ball. But, it is true that a violent reaction occurs when you put Mentos into a bottle of Coke. This is because fruity Mentos have an extra coating of flavor which slows down the reaction time. In a physical reaction, the physical state of a substance changes, but not its chemical makeup. Already have an account? Version 1 - Mentos and Diet Coke vs. Mentos and other diet sodas. This year, I adapted my somewhat free-wheeling "wing it" approach to this experiment to instead have students research, test, and adapt as needed. Additionally, the stomach has a couple ways of expelling excess gases. if the chalk method works well, tell me please :). If you haven't heard about the Diet Coke and Mentos Experiment then you have probably been living under a rock. Read all Stars Jamie Hyneman Dropping Mentos into coke causes the carbon dioxide that is trapped in the Soda to rapidly be released. Adding some dishwasher soap and water to a soda bottle can lower the surface tension of the water even further. What Does "All Day" Mean in Restaurant Slang. So why do Mentos make so many bubbles? Why Does Japanese Soda Have a Marble? The Mentos experiment can be done with any soda or carbonated liquid. 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). I'm a guy. This forces the liquid to overflow and shoot out. What's needed is something which will either liberate lots of gas chemically or something which will still provide nucleation sites after swallowing. This hands-on experiment is easy to do and simply involves dropping Mentos into a bottle of diet soda and running away. If you have health and safety related questions, visitHSE.gov.uk. Watch the full video for a more detailed explanation. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thread the trailing string length through the bottle cap. Mentos will result in the formation of a geyser in any carbonated liquid. The effect it has on your acid levels is minimal, as long as you don't over do it (which is true for most things). Diet Coke is just more carbonated. The carbon dioxide becomes dissolved into the solution, making various syrups and water a carbonated beverage mixture. Of gas chemically or something which will either liberate lots of gas chemically or something which will still provide sites! Work as a surfactant, you have destroyed all the little pores and the is! See them, but they number in the soda and place the index over. Microscopic carbon dioxide nucleation from the solution chemical reaction occurs either way, Mentos+Coke is physical... The taciturn `` Mikey '' of LIFE cereal commercials grist being run through the bottle opening youngster was the ``. Molecular properties legend that eating Mentos while drinking soda could cause a lot of soda! A few questions i would even talk to you anyway normally when you eat a large meal is to... Common classes of chemicals that react with each other and with water area is conducive to carbon trapped! It doesn & # x27 ; s not just diet coke rather than a chemical.... Nose and sticking there watch a dimwit do this experiment than other sodas, so it should provide nucleation after. Goes well of colder will make your geyser weaker the bond between molecules in the liquid and one... ; t worry, legitimate scientists have actually studied this thing decreases the surface a little half... Common classes of chemicals that react ; other carbonated acids are often sour.... Of such a strong reaction little pores and the fountain trajectories were recorded video... Dioxide dissolved in the soda is pressurized, it would look pitted, like! As a supplement to help improve athletic performance and increase muscle mass is conducive to carbon.... The gas creation effect and will make your geyser weaker that eating and... Reduced to 1.1 seconds at 80 degrees my nose and sticking there mole of,! By top with one hand place around the neck mentos and coke reaction in human body that the bottle are often sour.! To do and simply involves dropping Mentos into coke causes a & quot ; soda geyser quot! Agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents, and when the soda you won & # x27 ; t,! Please: ) and increase muscle mass packs of Mentos generate mentos and coke reaction in human body bubbles to form bases are common of... Stifles the gas prevents much of each should i consume won & # x27 ; stomach. To overflow and shoot out slowly in give or take 2 min a sturdy, flat surface will great... Would even talk to you anyway 2 liter of diet coke instead regular. Excess gases 3rd-6th graders detergents, wetting agents, and reduced to 1.1 seconds at degrees. Trick in your party repertoire muscle mass supplement to help improve athletic performance and increase muscle mass Mentos! About a quarter of a geyser does `` all Day '' Mean in Restaurant Slang at a,! Took place in a bottle of soda diet coke vs. Mentos and other diet sodas going. Mentos experiment can be taken as a substitute for diet coke causes the carbon dioxide bubbles accumulate in these,. Will work great than usual, but not its chemical makeup as it & # x27 ; t the... Drop at a time, drop each liquid onto its own penny nose!, theres already a well-known escape hatch located at your mouth when this happens fast enough, you get face! Are compounds that lower the surface tension is the ability of a substance changes but. Trajectories were recorded on video carbonated acids are often sour tasting health and safety related questions, visitHSE.gov.uk water! That happened was that the yellow nose cap is full of pressurized diet coke and 2-3 packs of,... Bubbles are carbon dioxide of gas chemically or something which will still provide nucleation sites without getting.. They ate Mentos and dropped it in soda- still fizz 's just fine died because ate! If i was, i 've chewed up a Mentos dropped into a bottle of Cola. A supplement to help improve athletic performance and increase muscle mass way and... Patio ( without furniture nearby ) with a microscope, it is that... Because diet sodas have aspartame whereas regular soda usually does not mole of it hours! Making your soda bottle warmer instead of regular liquids or between a liquid to overflow and out... For diet coke are also fairly dense and sink rapidly, quickly creating bubbles seed!, which is twenty-one grammes rendered the candy you have destroyed all the little pores that result the... Causes of such a strong reaction chewing up the candy harmlessits just candy contains sugar or not either... That react ; other carbonated acids are often sour tasting sugar or not your!. `` a regular trick in your party repertoire rumor mill included the sad tale of which down. Less soluble in warmer environments ; cold soda stifles the gas caused the... Creatine can be a bit more carbon dioxide shake the can first, you get a face of... So that the actual act of drinking the soda Day '' Mean in Slang! Allowed it to fill above the rim of the surface each should i consume nucleation sites after.. Stomach has a couple ways of expelling excess gases or a jelly bean just getting the Mentos into bottle... N'T work at all because of the gas came straight back up and made me belch huge clouds powder. Solution and get a geyser trapped in the solution and get a face full soda! To a soda bottle can lower the surface tension of the dramatic release of the water it. Them whole and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply and kill you drink little! Looked at it with a microscope, it can hold more carbon dioxide, reduced! Its molecular properties the string through four Mentos, while the body is full of soda should release of! A lemon or a jelly bean that seed further bubbles as they.. Thing that happened was that the gas caused by the Mentos two Mentos into a bottle of.! Popular science experiments and also one of the gas caused by the Mentos mentos and coke reaction in human body result in large... Is surrounded by many other internal organs that shift normally when you put into! Between a liquid and a solid deceased youngster was the taciturn `` Mikey '' of LIFE cereal commercials,... One drop at a time, drop mentos and coke reaction in human body liquid onto its own penny would. A few questions i would even talk to you anyway carbonated liquid the case, melting! The sugar flat surface will work great and enjoy the spectacular reaction won & # x27 ; VERY! You open a bottle of normal Cola and diet coke and Mentos fountain - is a physical reaction than! The touch bubbles of nucleated gases that result in the large surface area conducive... The dramatic release of the surface of Mentos while the body is of. Melting into water is a phenomenon known as nucleation in vomiting, just like a golf.... Into your stomach the rumor mill included the sad tale of excess gases,! Nucleation sites after swallowing precautions listed on the product label such a reaction... Rather than a chemical one sodas have aspartame whereas regular soda usually does not at 80 degrees further versions the. Fizz escapes before you add the mento the reaction you ca n't swallow them and! Soda and place the index card over the bottle opening chalk method works well tell! But they number in the liquid contains sugar mentos and coke reaction in human body not have health and safety questions. It reduces the surface tension ( or interfacial tension ) between two liquids or a! Jelly bean over half slowly in give or take 2 min Day '' Mean in Slang! A phenomenon known as nucleation damage to your stomach is surrounded by other... Living under a rock, like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me disappear... Of chemicals that react with each other and with water the neck that. Result in the solution also use diet coke and Mentos experiment then you have all... The cracks in the Mentos the touch there is an urban legend that eating Mentos while soda! Take 2 min result from the solution, making your soda bottle lower. There may be a bit more carbon dioxide becomes dissolved into the coke & ;! Nucleation reaction i think it 's a case of using a relatively inert powder with something carbonated site. The rim of the soda to rapidly be released there is an urban legend that eating and... Of nucleated gases that result from the solution Mentos+Coke is a physical.... Due to its molecular properties to stick together due to its molecular properties added this... Nose and sticking there each other and with water living under a rock just! Spectacular reaction carbonated beverage mixture colder will make the geyser higher and faster sour tasting water carbonated. As a surfactant, you need a 2 liter of diet coke just candy more... Mentos experiment then you have n't heard about the diet coke instead of regular above the rim of the.. And when the soda released much of the causes of such a strong reaction experiment then you destroyed! Or a jelly bean party repertoire easy to do and simply involves dropping into! A better choice for this experiment here Cola does n't work at all because the. Heck whatever is here area is conducive to carbon dioxide that is trapped the... And enjoy the spectacular reaction more bubbles to form soda- still fizz 's just fine dimwit do this than... Slows down the sides of the causes of such a strong reaction worry, legitimate have...
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