With this in mind, the chemicals in Mentos also serve as foaming agents by facilitating the rapid release of CO2 gas. When taken with fruit juice, creatine is more easily absorbed by the body. Finally, making your soda bottle warmer instead of colder will make the geyser higher and faster. Imagine a huge geyser erupting at Yellowstone National Park. Open the soda and place the index card over the bottle opening. The liquid will begin to rise above the brim of the penny and form a bubble. Christina graduated with a Master's in biology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. NEW CHALLENGE and it turned put great. I used the cheapest brands available in our local supermarket. The reaction is so intense, you can make a rocket propelled by . She is also certified in secondary special education, biology, and physics in Massachusetts. So why do Mentos make so many bubbles? Its not recommended to do this, even for a party trick, but youll survive with only your pride wounded overall. When i inflate using pumps, Plavini and the like, i manage up to thirty litres equivalent at atmospheric pressure. Mentos ingredients also help this reaction to some extent. Those who have disregarded common sense and tried such anyway report that the intensity of the reaction forces the mouth open, thereby releasing most of the gas and foam into the wild, as it were, rather than keeping them contained within the person. Crushed Mentos that fell more slowly created puny fountains that only travelled about 30 centimetres. Shake and inflate. 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. 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. If you have health and safety related questions, visitHSE.gov.uk. If your eruption wasn't everything you'd hoped for, make sure you have fresh ingredients. The rest of the process happens thanks to the physical properties of Mentos. Here's what they found. You can expect a large eruption. Mentos have a good bit of mass in their tiny shape, causing them to sink to the bottom of the Diet Coke. Not all such videos found on the Web are on the up-and-up, however, including the famed "Pepsi Girl" clip, which purports to document a demise caused by the ingestion of a mixture of Mentos and Coca-Cola. [RAMUNE SODA FLAVORS], Will Soda Cans Explode in Checked Baggage? But it shouldnt be a regular trick in your party repertoire. (It's not just Diet Coke and Mentos that react; other carbonated While there are many stories of people dying from suddenly exploding due to the rush of carbon dioxide expanding in their stomach, none of these stories are factually true and no video footage has ever been recorded of such an accident. 6 The physical process of gas escape induces chemical changes. Overall, theres no need to worry if youve done this once or twice before on a dare from a friend. Im a soft drinks enthusiast and Im bringing you all I know and research from the world of Soda Pop & Kombucha soft drinks. Fortunately, you do not have to do something so stupid as swallowing Mentos after drinking Coke. However, the practical applications of this reaction are limited by the sticky mess it makes. The last step is to stand back quickly and enjoy the spectacular reaction. Documentary Mystery Reality-TV Jamie and Adam try to scientifically explain the recently publicized and highly entertaining chemical reaction caused as a result of placing a Mentos candy into a 2-liter bottle of Diet 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. This is why soda slowly loses its carbonation over time after its been opened. No chemical reaction occurs either way, Mentos+Coke is a physical reaction. Imagine this small process happening thousands of times in the second and you get the trademark fountain of soda bubbles that rise out of the bottle. Gotta do it fast, though. I'll try more next time. Drinking Coca-Cola and swallowing Mentos will make you sick, but it will not cause your stomach to explode. 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. This happens because the surface of Mentos has thousands of microscopic pores, peaks, pits and craters in it so what we see to be a smooth outer shell is pure deception. While mentos may seem smooth to the naked eye, their surface is riddled with dimples and bumps under close examination. That year, the grist being run through the rumor mill included the sad tale of a misadventuring tot who had gulped soda and ingested Pop Rocks, a carbonated candy known for producing a fizzling sensation in the mouth. Since no. A Big ass explosion happenspretty damn cool. The question is whether this reaction would occur in your stomach. This mixture was first formulated by an American pharmacist, John S. Pemberton, in 1886 though it was originally marketed as a panacea for common ailments. 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. 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. Even if it did, you'd just end up belching/vomiting it all out. Try a new bottle of Diet Coke and a new package of Mentos. The carbon dioxide molecules attach to these pitted, rough surface sites and the bubbles grow. 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. They covered this on Mythbusters. Thus, the texture of Mentos alone increases the rate of nucleation. Make sure you move quickly away from the Diet Coke and stand back from the eruption after you add the Mentos. 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. 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. It is also found in many foods, including meat and fish. I will, but i have to wait until i can get hold of some. Next, secure a bottle of diet cola to the ground and remove the lid. Surfactants are compounds that lower the surface tension (or interfacial tension) between two liquids or between a liquid and a solid. This is likely for two reasons. As Steve Spangler, former high school science teacher turned hands-on science guru, explained: "The Mentos effect has nothing to do with the inside of the Mentos and everything to. I'm Chris Watson, the chap that brings you Soda Pop Craft. This spectacle is mainly caused by a physical reaction that rapidly releases the dissolved carbon dioxide from the beverage. What they found was what I suspected, that the actual act of drinking the soda released much of the carbon dioxide. Of course, this is for YouTube, so he continues drinking and swallowing candy. Step 3: Shake and Launch! [2]. 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. Theoretically speaking, any candy that has enough small pores like Mentos should be able to do this job. 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. Additionally, the stomach has a couple ways of expelling excess gases. Dropping Mentos into coke causes the carbon dioxide that is trapped in the Soda to rapidly be released. Video Instruction. This is essentially speeding up the process that makes sodas fizzy. Measurements showed that the surface tension in water containing the sweetener aspartame is lower than in sugary water, explaining why Diet Coke creates more dramatic fountains than sugary Coke. A rougher candy surface translates to more places for bubbles to grow, or more nucleation sites. Your stomach will not explode. I could feel my belly expanding to the point of discomfort. What will happen if we put Mentos in Coke? However, it is famously done with Diet Coke because the reduced surface tension generates a larger and more impressive plume. haha at first i was like wtf man? 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. When mint or fruit Mentos are dropped into a fresh bottle of Diet Coke, a jet of Coke whooshes out of the bottle's mouth and can reach a height of 10 metres. First, you will need to prepare your crushed Mentos candies. * Carbonated water and mentos (can't use diet coke because aspartame makes me pass out) doesn't work any better than fizzy water on its own for me. Because carbon dioxide changes from a liquid state to a gaseous state in the Diet Coke and Mentos experiment but does not change chemical makeup, it is a physical reaction. Put the open end of your tube of Mentos on the card and place it directly over the opening of the soda bottle. There's a lot of carbon dioxide dissolves in the soda, which gives it its fizz. 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. this big guy just dropped another BOOMIN video so like it up. June 15, 2008 -- The startling reaction between Diet Coke and Mentos sweets, made famous in thousands of YouTube videos, finally has a scientific explanation. Answer (1 of 43): I use to consume these both simultaneously. 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. It causes me no vomiting as well as no. Acids also . Mentos candies are not as smooth as they appear to the naked eye. My next plan is to use powdered chalk and fizzy water. I dunno, I've chewed up a mentos and dropped it in soda- still fizz's just fine. It certainly wont be comfortable and Mentos, but there arent any real health risks from doing so. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. Why is Diet Coke a better choice for this experiment than other sodas? Their explanation is this process called nucleation. They are covered in bumpy craters, which increases the total surface area. First, choose an area that is okay to get messy. Aside from the microscopic structures on the outside of the Mentos shells, there are several chemicals that make Coca-Cola explode in this way. This effect can be maximized to a certain extent by adding a few Mentos candies to a given soda bottle, although there is a breaking point where adding more candies doesnt make the geyser any more impressive. As the bubbles get bigger, they detach from the Mentos and race to the top of the soda. There's a plastic layer with holes in. This is the same thing that happens to any other container with volatile ingredients. There is an urban legend that eating mentos while drinking soda could cause a person's stomach to burst. Why Does Japanese Soda Have a Marble? 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. All content 2019 by Eric Troy and CulinaryLore. an experiment that tested 15 types of carbonated beverages with Mentos, 11b 13 Aston Fields Road,Whitehouse Industrial Estate, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 3DL. Additionally, the stomach has a couple ways of expelling excess gases. This reaction occurs because of nucleation, which is the process of a substance changing its physical state. It turns out that Mentos have a very porous surface, with thousands of tiny indentations, perfect for nucleation. The YouTube video discussed above is not exactly scientific, however. In an . Instead it is a physical reaction. Diet Coke, a sugar-free cola beverage, and Mentos, a chewy round candy, are combined to generate a Diet Coke and Mentos eruption. 1. What happened when you added the Mentos to the Diet Coke? Part of the scientific method is making a prediction called a hypothesis. 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. "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. Since there are so many nucleation sites on the Mentos, this happens incredibly fast, causing the huge eruption. When Diet Coke and Mentos join, the result should be a large fountain of foamy soda that erupts from the bottle. However, any type of carbonated soda can be a replacement for Coca-Cola; the key is carbonation more than anything else. This is complete nonsense! anyways no expanding tummy as of yet. As for what happens when carbonated beverage encounters Mentos, when a roll of the sweets is dropped into a two-liter bottle of Diet Coke, the combination works to produce an impressive geyser of brown froth that shoots about 20 feet into the air (although some of these pressurized fountains have attained even greater height). Mentos is a must While a wide range of soft drinks can be used for this experiment, using Mentos as your chosen candy is a must. But, any carbonated beverage works. A study in the US has identified the prime. However InflatableSteve's Video that was grand lolz. 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. They also compared reactions using other fizzy liquids such as caffeine-free and sugary colas, as well as soda water and tonic water. 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. 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 . Incidentally, i was watching a diet coke and mentos thing on YouTube earlier. What's needed is something which will either liberate lots of gas chemically or something which will still provide nucleation sites after swallowing. Occasional vomiting from sickness or a stomach bug is normal, but forcing yourself to throw up soda and candy at every party is a one-way ticket to extra complications. The rest of the Mythbusters team explores the possibility of a standard postage stamp ca. Create your account. NEW CHALLENGE and it turned put great. As previously stated, the surface of Mentos candies is what makes this reaction work. I've had a couple of thoughts about the swallowing problem. What type of physical reaction is Coke and Mentos? Almost everyone in middle school or high school has heard the urban legend: if you drink Coke and eat Mentos, youll explode! * Fizzy water and gum tragacanth. Read all Stars Jamie Hyneman Mentos react with Diet Coke because their rough surfaces provide suitable sites for rapid growth of carbon dioxide bubbles, according to Mental Floss magazine. Sign up to read all wikis and quizzes in math, science, and engineering topics. 2. Diet Coke will work better than regular Coke for this experiment. Additionally, we do not recommend using any chemical without reading theMaterial Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), which can be obtained from the manufacturer. Abstract and Figures. Its relatively easy to do because the materials are readily available: with nothing but a few Mentos and a bottle of Coke, you can trigger an immediate, explosive reaction, making this a very simple yet very fun (if slightly messy) experiment. What Does "All Day" Mean in Restaurant Slang. Drop several Mentos into a bottle of coke or lemonade, and a huge eruption of bubbles shoots out several meters high. also, i had to lay down to hold in the gas. The mints are small oblate spheroids, with a slightly hard exterior and a soft, chewy interior.. but i have seen videos of it on youtube? [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. He was claimed to have died after eating Pop Rocks candy with soda. 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. Further versions of the story specified the deceased youngster was the taciturn "Mikey" of LIFE cereal commercials. Low surface tension also helps bubbles grow quickly. 0:00 / 5:15 Diet Coke and Mentos Human Experiment **DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME** | Furious Pete Furious Pete 5.08M subscribers Subscribe 88K 16M views 11 years ago If you haven't heard about the. 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. 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. Coffey, T. 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. There is no danger in eating Mentos mints while drinking Coca-Cola. Only after the Mythbusters pumped a large amount of compressed air into the stomach did it finally burst, and it took a LOT of air. As the cup fills, a bubble of water will start to grow above the rim of the glass. All the carbon dioxide in the soda - all that fizz - is squeezed into the liquid and looking . You can use more than one Mentos to get a really big explosion. Doesn't work. !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! All the reactions took place in a bottle angled at 10 off vertical and the fountain trajectories were recorded on video. When combining Diet Coke and Mentos, one would get a physical reaction. She has a Master's Degree in Cellular and Molecular Physiology from Tufts Medical School and a Master's of Teaching from Simmons College. This is because the stomach reacted by trying to let go of the offending contents, but the esophagus is not an efficient method of expelling the bubbly Coca-Cola. Their explanation is this process called nucleation. * Just drinking fizzy water was fairly OK but made me cold to the extent of uncontrollable shivering. I think the cracks in the mentos will disappear during consumption. coke geyser. Beast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDZESjYAwh-ws7ZSZZ8DKeg 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. *Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or its affiliates. One enterprising group made a mentos and diet coke-powered rocket. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Invert the test tube, holding the cover in place. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. Thousands of microscopic carbon dioxide bubbles accumulate in these pockets, which then leaves gaps inside the bottle. 3. The Diet Coke and Mentos reaction is a common experiment performed in many science classes. Water molecules are polar and attracted to each other. Whats up people. The Mentos And Coke Volcano Experiment Now it's time to actually run the experiment, but first, we need to make a hypothesis. -which do I consume first? After all, its well known that dropping Mentos into a bottle of Diet Coke will cause a sudden geyser of soda foam to erupt. essentially cause a lot of the carbon dioxide trapped. I've tried it, unsuccessfully. The nucleation reaction causes the rapid release of the carbon dioxide from the water, resulting in carbon dioxide gas which rapidly expands in the soda, pushing the liquid out of the bottle. Update Date: 3 January 2023. 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. What Is The Chemical Structure Of Coca-Cola? Thus, the rates of nucleation are further increased. The eruption should happen instantaneously, so make sure to get out of the way to avoid being covered in sticky soda. Pour out the first 5cm of Diet Coke for extra working room. Are There Any Long-Term Health Risks Eating Mentos & Soda? 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. The carbon dioxide molecules are looking to attach themselves to any rough surface. If this were the case, eating Mentos and drinking soda may indeed be dangerous. This means that they sink to the bottom of the beverage. That way you can do maybe a hundred at once. Is it OK to Eat Expired Canned Foods? but then after an hour i realised my tummy had gone down, so it had risen, i just hadnt noticed alot lol. has a small opening (think "soda bottle"), it serves to produce a frothy geyser that shoots many feet into the air, a secondary use of the product that has served to enthrall countless persons with a penchant for making things explode. This in turns means that the carbon dioxide gas is more rapidly released. So, when a Mento is dropped into some Coke, the acidity of the soda mixture quickly dissolves its shell, releasing the chemicals. These chemicals are found in the shell itself as well as in the soda mixture, and they contribute to the formation of pressurised foam. This forces the liquid to overflow and shoot out. The Coke-Mentos experiment is one of the most popular science experiments and also one of the most well-known. Learn about the Diet Coke and Mentos experiment and discover the science behind why Mentos react to soda. Mentos reacts strongly to all carbonated drinks owing to some of its molecular properties. I might be expecting too much. The reaction occurs between these little pores and the carbon dioxide dissolved in the solution. The resulting splash from diet soda with this mixture would surely be something to record. Put them either in capsules or little parcels of rice paper, which you then stick together with something. Your stomach is surrounded by many other internal organs that shift normally when you eat a large meal. A chemical reaction occurs when a substance transforms into a different substance. Log in here. A Mentos dropped into a bottle of soda acts as a surfactant, meaning it reduces the surface tension of the soda. In a physical reaction, the physical state of a substance changes, but not its chemical makeup. If you tried to swallow the foam as is emerged from the bottle, you might well vomit because of all the gas you swallowed, but you most certainly would not die Picture: By Michael Murphy - Mich. Acids are often sour tasting. Create an account to start this course today. A few questions i would like answering: -how much of each should i consume? But as it stands, all youll experience if you drink Coke and eat Mentos is some mild discomfort and possibly some embarrassing vomiting. 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. Instead, the vigour of the jets depends on various factors that affect the growth rate of carbon dioxide bubbles. They are a pain in the ass to make, though. However, the American Chemical Society provides step-by-step instructions on how to safely make a Mentos soda fountain, so this is one experiment you can try at home. 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. I'm a guy. It worked, but even quite small quantities seem to start messing up my internal environment and i got cramps and tingling. This spectacle is mainly caused by a physical reaction that rapidly releases the dissolved carbon dioxide from the beverage. A study reveals why Mentos and Coke can be a dangerous combination. 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. In effect, you have rendered the candy harmlessit's just candy. The original ingredients of Coca-Cola contained cocaine from coca leaves and caffeine-rich extracts from kola nuts. What Happens When You Mix Coke With Mentos? Pop a bottle and have a browse. 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. While sugar and corn syrup both help to lower the surface tension of water to some degree, aspartame does this to a much higher quality and can make the geyser effect happen much more quickly. 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. Already have an account? Beast Subscribe https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP7vRMlZYx4R00Dj3Q4NjRA twitter https://twitter.com/Bunnyzilla206 instagram https://www.instagram.com/chafeel_harris/Subscribe to the L.A. You can also increase the effect by adding extra ingredients to a given soda. Cans Of Bernard Dehydrated Water: What in the World is This? This led to the gum shooting up my nose and sticking there. 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. I feel like its a lifeline. Glad it worked for you. Version 1 - Mentos and Diet Coke vs. Mentos and other diet sodas. To liberate five litres, i.e. But i think nucleation sites are the way to go, not an actual chemical reaction. Diet coke has 135 calories in a 12 fluid ounce serving, while mentos has 90 calories. how can they do it then? The reaction between Diet Coke and mentos is caused by nucleation. Mentos are a brand of packaged scotch mints or mint flavored candies sold in stores and vending machines.First produced in 1932, they are currently sold in more than 130 countries worldwide by the Italian-Dutch corporation Perfetti Van Melle.