IanWhat Happens if You Mix Mentos With Diet Coke?
September 17th 2007 13:06
First popularized by Lee Marek of Naperville North High School on the David Letterman show, a Mentos mint expedites a rapid release of carbon dioxide when dropped into a carbonated liquid because of its high surface area. Also, the small dents in the surface of the candy provide a great site for nucleation, which is how the carbon dioxide molecules can escape so rapidly. The escaping bubbles quickly turn into a raging foam, and the pressure can build dramatically in a restricted container such as a two-litre bottle.
As explained on an episode of hit show MythBusters, diet sodas (particularly colas due to their visible brown colour) are most commonly used for the experiment. MythBusters, however, told the public, that only mint Mentos react. This is not true. Fruit and mint as well as other types of mints like life savers and tic-tacs. Though their reactions are not on the same scale, they are still reactions. People are often under the illusion that aspartame causes the reaction—this is only partly true; the MythBusters have shown aspartame to be one of many reactive components and/or catalysts in both the soda and the Mentos. Diet Coke is also preferred because they do not contain large amounts of sugar like regular colas. Sugar molecules help keep the carbon dioxide in solution, slowing the reaction. Artificial sweeteners in diet colas are much sweeter per molecule, and so make up a smaller proportion of the solution and allow a faster reaction.
The resulting geyser (popularly known as a Diet Coke and Mentos eruption) can shoot as high as 6 metres (20 feet). The record, reached in MythBusters, was over 29 feet with the use of a nozzle.
The pictures below show the Mentos and Diet Coke experiment in action.
*This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation Licence. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Mentos.
As explained on an episode of hit show MythBusters, diet sodas (particularly colas due to their visible brown colour) are most commonly used for the experiment. MythBusters, however, told the public, that only mint Mentos react. This is not true. Fruit and mint as well as other types of mints like life savers and tic-tacs. Though their reactions are not on the same scale, they are still reactions. People are often under the illusion that aspartame causes the reaction—this is only partly true; the MythBusters have shown aspartame to be one of many reactive components and/or catalysts in both the soda and the Mentos. Diet Coke is also preferred because they do not contain large amounts of sugar like regular colas. Sugar molecules help keep the carbon dioxide in solution, slowing the reaction. Artificial sweeteners in diet colas are much sweeter per molecule, and so make up a smaller proportion of the solution and allow a faster reaction.
The resulting geyser (popularly known as a Diet Coke and Mentos eruption) can shoot as high as 6 metres (20 feet). The record, reached in MythBusters, was over 29 feet with the use of a nozzle.
The pictures below show the Mentos and Diet Coke experiment in action.
*This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation Licence. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Mentos.
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