Here Today... Gone To Hell!

A Mentos eruption (also known as a Mentos and Diet Coke geyser, soda geyser or just Diet Coke and Mentos) is a reaction between Mentos candy and cola. The experiment involves dropping several Mentos candies (usually 5?8) into a bottle of diet cola, resulting in an eruption occurring because of rapidly expanding carbon dioxide bubbles on the surface of the Mentos.

While there are various theories being debated as to the exact scientific explanation of the phenomenon, many scientists claim that it is a physical reaction and not a chemical one.Water molecules strongly attract each other, linking together to form a tight connection around each bubble of carbon dioxide gas in the soda. To form a new bubble, water molecules must push away from one another. It takes extra energy to break this surface tension. So, in other words, water resists the expansion of bubbles in the soda. The Mint-Flavored Mentos have tiny air holes that compress the carbon dioxide from the diet coke, causing an eruption to occur.

When Mentos are dropped into soda, the gelatin and gum arabic of the candy dissolves and breaks the surface tension. This disturbs the water connection, so that it takes less work to expand and form new bubbles. Each Mentos candy has thousands of tiny pores all over its surface. These tiny pores function as nucleation sites, perfect places for carbon dioxide bubbles to form. As soon as the Mentos enter the soda, bubbles form all over their surface. They quickly sink to the bottom, causing carbon dioxide to be released by the carbonated liquid with which they come into contact along the way. The sudden increase in pressure pushes all of the liquid up and out of the bottle.

The reaction was the subject of an August 9, 2006 episode of MythBusters, a television program on the Discovery Channel. They concluded that the caffeine, potassium benzoate, aspartame, and CO2 gas contained in the Diet Coke and the gelatin and gum arabic ingredients of the Mentos all contribute to the geyser effect. In addition, the MythBusters theorized that the physical structure of the Mentos is the most significant cause of the eruption. When flavored Mentos with a smooth waxy coating were tested in carbonated water, no reaction occurred, whereas standard Mentos added to carbonated water formed a small geyser, by their claim, affirming the nucleation-site theory. Of course a wax coating would render just about anything inert in this experiment; wax-coated sodium would have given the same reaction. This was further supported when rock salt was used as an effective substitute for Mentos.

The experiment can be done in reverse, forming a Mentos rocket. Typically a two liter bottle is used, with the cap replaced after dropping several Mentos in. The bottle is then shaken up and thrown on the ground, cap-down. If the bottle hits the ground hard enough to let the pressure break the cap off, the bottle will launch like a rocket.

One way to improve height of a Mentos reaction with Diet Coke is by freezing the Mentos. Gum arabic, like water, expands when it freezes, which allows the reaction to happen at a quicker rate, because the Mentos become more porous. Rock salt can also be used to produce a reaction of great height, because of the ions in the salt. A nozzle on the bottle is also effective for increasing the height of the reaction. When using Mentos, the Mint kind is the best choice, because they have a matte finish (better for reaction), whereas the finish on the fruit Mentos is a gloss finish.


(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/47/Image-Mentos-Diet_Coke-Geyser2.jpg)

Anyone ever tried this? Im going to tonight

Doesn't work. I stole a bottle of coke n' a pack of mentos...went to an open warehouse, and yeah, it didn't work.

Did you steel a Diet Coke?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKoB0MHVBvM

Yes, I stole a bottle of diet coke.

Reminds me of my prom night....

Premature ejaculator, eh?

It happens.

what happens if you drink a bottle of diet coke and then eat the mentos? :o

It comes out your ass. I've seen the videos of it on youtube, it's not pretty.  :nervous:

Kinda reminds me of the pop rocks and coke thing back in the day.

SO THAT EXPLAINS TUBGIRL!!!!!!    :o

Must....not......ask......what that is.....

Isn't this shown in the movie Urban Legends?

So, what happened?

Sure. Regular mint-flavor Mentos, 2L Diet Coke. Then several feet of paper towels to clean the windows. Lovely.   

Thats why you dont do it inside?

Is that a question?

I thought the same thing as I was reading about it...I had coke and pop rocks come out my nose once when I was 15...
pretty girl, just not a smart one ;)

Why didn't you just buy a bottle of coke n' a pack of mentos? It  is not expensive. I think the fact that you stole  these items gave you bad karma and it  did not work. If you had purchased them legally the experiment would have  been succcessful.  :rofl:

Perhaps you decarbonated the soda while hot-footing it from the grocery police.


They were playing with mentos and diet coke on Mythbusters again this week. Which answered this question: What happens if you drink a bottle of diet coke and then eat the mentos? Not a damn thing. Drinking the coke releases the carbon dioxide, defusing the sugar bomb. Sad.