This all boils down to the presence (or lack thereof) of sugar. Fortunately, the maker of Mentos (Perfetti Van Melle) also liked our Geyser Tube design. As the Mentos candy sinks in the bottle of soda, the candy causes the production of more and more carbon dioxide bubbles. 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. WebDiet coke and mentos explained: We explain the science behind the Diet Coke and Mentos experiment: The mint sweets provide a surface for the gas in the cola to cling on to. Compare these times to the mass lost and distance traveled results in Tables I and II. ", "Tribonucleation: A New Mechanism for Generating the Soda Geyser", "The problem with the Coke & Mentos experiment that few people know about", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Soda_geyser&oldid=1149860252, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 14 April 2023, at 21:58. We also examined the reaction between Mint Mentos and Diet Coke, Caffeine Free Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Classic, Caffeine Free Coca-Cola Classic, seltzer water, seltzer water with potassium benzoate added, seltzer water with aspartame added, tonic water, and diet tonic water. What factors made dabbawala system successful? The colorful nature of this chemistry experiment kit introduces your child to basic concepts of volume, measurement and chemical reactions in a safe, no-mess way. You want the candies going in the bottle and not falling over the side. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. As long as there is a high surface area to volume ratio, that area can be classified as a nucleation site (Grobe & Voltz, n.d.). QUESTIONS: 1. Notice how bubbles immediately form on the surface of the object. How does the temperature of the soda affect the height of the soda stream when Mentos are added to soda? 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. The average distance traveled by the sodas spray during the explosion is given in Table II. [15] Amazing Toys, Spangler's toy company, released the Geyser Tube toys in February 2007. Can I use clear bottom plates for fluorescence? The video was titled Extreme Diet Coke & Mentos Experiments. Carbon dioxide is the chemical compound that consists of two oxygen atoms bonded to a 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. Team students up and have them collaborate to figure out chemistry experiments or give your own kids a fun, rainy day activity that will get them excited about learning. What evidence did the team find that the reaction between the Mentos and soda was a physical change? Decide who will do what, so you will be ready when its your turn. The images were acquired with a beam energy of 12.5kV and a spot size of 5.0nm. Rough candy 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. Unscrew soda and put safety goggles on. With 5 or 6 mentos the explosion went only 330 and 310 cm high. While a Mentos candy contains millions of cavities, it is likely that only about 100,000 cavities actively nucleate bubbles on any single Mentos candy placed in a carbonated beverage.[19][25]. The experiment became a subject of the television show MythBusters in 2006. Regular soda becomes a sticky mess because it contains sugar, while diet soda uses artificial sweeteners instead of sugar, so its not as sticky. The AFM rms roughness measurements are given in Table V. The SEM images of some of the samples are shown in Figs. (2019, December 18). We used the measured contact angle to calculate the minimum work required to form a critical bubble5 by the relation: where LV is the liquid-vapor surface tension, PP is the pressure difference across the interface, is the contact angle, and the function f() is given by. Your kid may be surprised to learn that the density of coke and diet coke aren't the same! If the growth of carbon dioxide bubbles on the sample takes place at the bottom of the bottle, then the bubbles formed will detach from the sample and rise up the bottle. The coating of the Mentos contains gum arabic, a surfactant that reduces the surface tension of water. American Journal of Physics 1 June 2008; 76 (6): 551557. Gruber, B. When you open the container, the bubbles quickly rise to the top, pushing the liquid out of the way, so liquid sprays everywhere. We used a video camera to measure the time it took for Mentos, rock salt, Wint-o-Green Lifesavers, and playground sand to fall through water from the top of the water line to the bottom of a clear 2l bottle. Record your observations in a logbook. Be sure that the soda bottles are all the same brand and type. As the mentos candy sinks in the bottle, the candy Its time to put your favorite soda to the test in this fun experiment. We enable strictly necessary cookies to give you the best possible experience on Education.com. Easy Science for Kids. This chemistry science kit includes activities for solo and group experiments, making it a fantastic addition to your classroom or for fun at home. [10] As another example, dropping grains of salt or sand into the solution provides Type IV nucleation sites, lowers the activation energy compared to that of homogeneous nucleation, and increases the rate of carbon dioxide degassing. Science teachers found that Mentos candies had the same effect when dropped into a bottle of any carbonated soft drink. This hypothesis was also proven false as the pH of the substance did not change after the reaction (Muir, 2008). This must been coined as the Pepsi Paradox. The Diet Coke and Mentos experiment results from an increased rate of nucleation. The Diet Coke and Mentos experiment results from the nucleation of carbon dioxide from liquid to gas. Sticking a finger into a glass of soda will result in the formation of tiny bubbles full of carbon dioxide that stick to the skin. Subtract the remaining amount of liquid from the original volume of the bottle to calculate the volume of the geyser. Due to the popularity of the Diet CokeMentos reaction as a demonstration of key principles in physics and chemistry, we have investigated the causes of the reaction. The scientific method is an important way scientists make observations and come to conclusions. The most striking example is the molecular sieve beads, which lost a significant amount of mass but only traveled 2.5ft. Note that the contact angles for Diet Coke and Caffeine Free Diet Coke are not very different. Carbon dioxide creates the bubbles in soda. And its a great way to learn about chemical reactions. Average horizontal distance traveled by the spray during the reaction. I also posted the video on a new online video-sharing site called YouTube (YouTube was only seven months old at that time). Set up 16oz coke bottle and attach geyser tube and launch. [27][28] Thus, the geyser reaction will still work even using sugared drinks, but diet is commonly used both for the sake of a larger geyser as well as to avoid having to clean up the stickier residue left by a sugared soda. Dont forget to look back at the amazing eruption of soda. 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. Many soda geyser-ologists believe that seven Mentos candies produce the highest shooting geyser. The child who died from combining Mentos and Coca-Cola story is an updating of an older legend that began in 1979. Then, make comparisons, create a chart with your data and draw your conclusions. They both ended up having 1 oz out of 8 oz ounces leave the beaker and into the air around too. WebFound the trial with soda and Mentos at Steve Spangler Science, with tutorial on how at make a huge explosion. The quantitative roughness information detailed in Table V was taken from this image. While I had performed variations of the Mentos Geyser Experiment on television many times from 2001 to 2004, my performance of the demo in the backyard of Denvers NBC affiliate KUSA-TV in September of 2005 proved to be the tipping point. Prior to heating, the bottle was opened to release some of the internal pressure, and then closed again. If spectators were watching your exploits, someone is bound to yell out, Do it again! Thats exactly what youre going to do. The lack of change in the pH supports the conclusion that the Mint MentosDiet Coke reaction is not an acid-base reaction. In colder liquids, the gas molecules move very slowly, causing them to diffuse out of the solution much more slowly, leaving more gas in the solution. 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 American Crystallographic Association, Inc. AVS: Science and Technology of Materials, Interfaces and Processing, www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/00000109, Paragliders' launch trajectory is universal, On the bifurcation behavior of a folded notebook page, Rosalind Franklin's X-ray photo of DNA as an undergraduate optical diffraction experiment, Introducing quantum mechanics through its historical roots: The hydrogen Rydberg atom viewed through the lens of the old quantum theory, The discovery of a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, Sensory evaluation and electronic tongue analysis for sweetener recognition in coke drinks. Native American Teepees, Longhouses, Pueblos, Nebraska State History US History Facts, Becoming a US Citizen US Government Facts, 12 Michael Jackson Facts For Kids 2023 [Must Read], Mood in Literature (Definition, Examples & Case Studies) 2023, Antithesis Examples, Definition, Usage, and Popular instances. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. 1 So the relatively small amount of caffeine in a 2 l bottle of Coke doesnt significantly affect the reaction. The variable could be something like the number of mentos dropped into the bottle, the flavor of diet soda, the size of the bottle, or the temperature of the soda. Diet Coke Today Room 1 and 5 did a science experiment together. Just mix the two liquids and get more than 300 feet of Instant Worms. https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14114-science-of-mentos-diet-coke-explosions-explained/. 3 I recently led a large group of undergraduate physics students in a cooperative research project to Coke possesses been which preferred mark through all other coke, spite one preference for Pepsi in blind taste tests. A more dramatic effect is the rate of the reaction. 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. Hall, Jonathan Hearing, Leander Hutton, Kelly Izlar, Cully Little, James Lugenbell, Michael Mace, Bonnie Myers, Carla Penders, Zach Russell, Shane Shields, Adrian Steffen, Tony Sturtzel, and Zach Yokley. The solution becomes supersaturated with carbon dioxide when the bottle is opened, and the pressure is released. On a 100m2 scale, the Wint-o-Green Lifesavers have a rms roughness that is more than a factor of 10 larger than the rms roughness of the rock salt. Spurting Science: Erupting Diet Coke with Mentos. The activation energy for bubble nucleation (formation of bubbles) depends on where the bubble forms. How Does Diet Affect Your Body Temperature? Thats why its called a Baby Soda Bottle! This must been coined as the Pepsi Paradox. Webfeaturing the famous Diet Coke and Mentos experiment and knew its basic Further research yielded the following background information. When the candy hits the bottom of the bottle, the gas is released and pushes the soda from the bottle up in the air in an amazing eruption! Also, for the same amount of mass lost, the eruption will be more dramatic when the reaction takes place over a shorter time. If the partial pressure of the gas above the liquid is higher, then more gas can be dissolved in the liquid. We compared dropping 16g of Mint Mentos into a 1l bottle of seltzer water (carbonated water), a 1l bottle of tonic water (carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural and artificial flavors, and quinine), and a 1l bottle of diet tonic water (carbonated water, citric acid, natural and artificial flavors, aspartame, potassium benzoate, and quinine). Eruption caused by mixing Diet Coke and Mentos, "Naperville students integral to classic TV bits, but will the fun continue? Conclusion: The more mentos you put in a bottle of pop does not necessarily mean a larger explosion. This was demonstrated in an experiment that tested 15 types of carbonated beverages with Mentos. Figure 1(b) shows rough patches and nooks and crannies in the salt, which are also excellent growth sites. The question in the hypothesis was answered too, with the Children will enjoy this hilarious story and use their hands to mix up a batch of Instant Worms. Also, the coating dissolves very rapidly in water, and so is not effective at preventing the growth of carbon dioxide bubbles. The uncertainty is approximately 10%. The warmer the liquid, thelessgas can be dissolved in that liquid. Turns out that diet coke, which gets its sweetness from artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, is more commonly used than its regular counterpart. Remember that 1 liter is equivalent to 1000 milliliters. Later on in the experiment, youll be invited to compare the geyser power of diet versus regular soda, but for now well start with a 2-liter bottle of diet soda. What is inside Mentos and Cola that reacts with each other causing the eruption? We showed the importance of sample roughness by comparing SEM and AFM images of the samples to the explosive power of the reaction. 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. Decreased bubble coalescence leads to smaller bubble sizes and greater foaming ability in the water. The key is to keep every launch fair and to make sure the only variable is the temperature of the soda. http://www.eepybird.com/featured-video/coke-and-mentos-featured-video/science-of-coke-mentos/. How does generic soda stack up against the name brands? Instead of Mentos mints candy, however, they used a roll of Wintergreen LifeSavers and a pipe cleaner. The amount 54020g of mass was lost from the diet tonic water, 43020g of mass was lost from the tonic water, and 945g of mass from the seltzer water. Coke possesses been which preferred mark through all other coke, spite one preference for Pepsi in blind taste tests. We put 4 mentos pieces into the bottle of diet coke. What is the conclusion of the Coke and Mentos experiment? Fueled by hundreds of blogs and popular online sharing sites like YouTube, this once obscure reaction quickly became a sensational hands-on learning activity for young scientists. You can also use a Baby Soda Bottle to hold the Mentos or a Geyser Tube, which was invented to solve this very problem. Unfortunately, Kim got so caught up in the fun that she forgot to do both and got soaked in Diet Coke on live television! The hypothesis was that if unaltered mentos were dropped into coke, then they would create a more explosive reaction than any of the altered mentos. What do your results reveal about the effect that the number of Mentos has on the height of the geyser? Because Mentos mints didnt have holes in the middle like LifeSavers, getting them into the bottle was a little tricky. Once your Mentos are lined up and ready to drop, its time for the fun to begin. This procedure prevented the explosion of the bottle during heating, but the early release of some of the carbon dioxide gas may have caused these reactions to be less explosive than the cold or room temperature trials. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.2888546. Now its time to actually run the experiment,but first,we need to make a hypothesis. students used this simple device to monitor the kinetics of This is because the warm air would have a greater volume and would exert more pressure, which would force the soda to a higher height. You could use abeakeror agraduated cylinderto measure the remaining soda in milliliters. The higher magnification image of the Fruit Mentos is zoomed in on one of the rougher patches. Drinks sweetened with aspartame, such as diet Coke or the diet tonic water, are more explosive than drinks sweetened with sugar (corn syrup), which is likely due to a reduction in the work required for bubble formation when aspartame is added. Bookmark this to easily find it later. The question was asked on a special College Week episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. The thing that makes soda bubbly is invisible carbon dioxide, which is pumped into bottles at the factory using lots and lots of pressure. The scale bars represent the following lengths: (a) 2.0mm; (b) 100m, (c) 50m, and (d) 20m. Grobe, F., & Voltz, S. The Science of Coke and Mentos. The work required to form a bubble in sugar water and aspartame is 74% and 67%, respectively, of the work required to form a bubble in pure water. [20][30] It has also been suggested that the more stable foams observed in diet sodas as compared to regular sodas could contribute to the taller geysers observed in diet sodas. 5 and 6. The seltzer and tonic water were not Coca-Cola products, and it was not possible to find seltzer and tonic water with the same expiration date as the Coke products. For example, it has been suggested that the higher viscosity of regular sodas as compared to diet sodas could inhibit the formation of the fountain in regular sodas, leading to shorter fountains. Science of Mentos-Diet Coke explosions explained. Figure 1(a) qualitatively demonstrates that the small cubic table salt grains have a high surface area to volume ratio, thus providing many growth sites for the carbon dioxide in the Diet Coke. Why does the reaction happen? What is a good hypothesis for Mentos and Diet Coke? An impressive acid-base reaction can be generated by adding baking soda to Diet Coke. WebSince which invention of cola, the gegner between Pepsi and Coca-Cola (i.e., Coke) has had in existence. Each time, she was covered in more soda until her once-pink dress was now more Coke-colored than pink! The Mythbusters correctly identified potassium benzoate and aspartame as key ingredients in the Diet CokeMentos reaction. Science project. Tobin, Declan. The pH of the Diet Coke after the baking soda reaction was 6.1, indicating that much of the acid present in the Diet Coke was neutralized by the reaction. The diet coke erupted like a volcano. What is a good hypothesis for Mentos and Diet Coke? The Mythbusters also correctly identified the roughness of the samples as one of the main causes of the reaction. The sand and the table salt grains were roughly the same size, so we assume that the fall times for the sand and table salt would be comparable. He would like to know why does the shape and size of the mentos affect the outcome of the project. 4). A 10% difference is comparable to the uncertainty in our experiments, and hence it is difficult to observe significant differences in the results for Diet Coke compared to Caffeine Free Diet Coke. This increase moves the system away from the equilibrium condition for that molar concentration of the gas. You might want to have someone film the reaction for you so you can watch it again. Everyone found their own method for quickly dropping the Mentos into the soda. The Diet Coke and Mentos reaction is a popular experiment or demonstration in part because it inspires students to wonder, and inquiry-driven labs and active-learning In conclusion the hypothesis that the diet coke will have the greatest explosion because of the high level of CO2 gas contained in it was correct. [20] In some cases, dissolved solids that increase the surface tension of water (such as sugars) also increase fountain heights. The blend of Coke Zero and Mentos just works out the strongest. SEM images of Mint Mentos [(a) and (c)] and Fruit Mentos with a candy coating [(b) and (d)]. Which is the best 150 Ah inverter battery? What female country singers were on American Idol? Place one bottle in the refrigerator and let it sit there overnight. For the MentosDiet Coke reaction, the carbonic acid and carbon dioxide are not products of a chemical reaction but are already present in the Diet Coke, whose equilibrium is disturbed by the addition of the Mentos. Part of the scientific method is making a prediction called a hypothesis. It should not introduce any new information, but rather summarize the key points made in the discussion section. But when the gum arabic was injected into the middle of the bottle, no mass was lost. 1 and 3. The physical characteristics of Mentos (surface roughness) have the effect of drastically reducing the activation energy for carbon dioxide bubble formation so that the nucleation rate becomes exceedingly high. WebKids TV Yenu and Sanu is home to gaining knowledge & entertain toddlers. Dog Diets: Will a Dog Prefer Homemade Dog Food? https://easyscienceforkids.com/diet-coke-and-mentos-video-for-kids/. The dependent variable is the the Diet Coke with the mentos because it depends on the mentos to have a chemical response. Diet Coke 280 8.6 Conclusion: The more mentos you put in a bottle of pop does not necessarily mean a larger explosion. Before you get started, youll need to find a location suitable for the experiment. We found that the max amount of mentos with the Its also a lot less work than your classic paper mache volcano. Discover how science and magic have always been connected! This experiment can be visually displayed with photos or videos of the event and a graph of the tables results. Thanks also to Guichuan Hou and Phil Russell for their help in acquiring the SEM images, and to Donovan Leonard for his help in acquiring some of the AFM images. The addition of the Mentos leads to the rapid nucleation of carbon dioxide gas bubbles, degassing the solution:[2][19][20][21][22], The conversion of dissolved carbon dioxide to gaseous carbon dioxide forms rapidly expanding gas bubbles in the soda, which pushes the beverage contents out of the container. But there was one added bonus: the restricted hole at the top of the plastic tube helped to build up more pressure in the bottle and launched the soda up to 30 feet into the air! Carbon dioxide is the chemical compound that consists of two oxygen atoms bonded to a carbon atom. It should not introduce any new information, but rather summarize the key points made in the discussion section. This demonstration illustrates many important ideas in physics, including key principles in thermodynamics, surface science, and the physics of eruptions. Cover the opening of the test tube with an index card or similar slim, small paper. Well, its probably not pretty. What is inside Mentos and cola that reacts with each other causing the eruption? Experimental measurements suggest that as many as 14 million bubbles are produced per liter of soda in this experiment.[19]. Stir up some enthusiasm for experimentation with this candy-cracking science experiment! The goal is to drop all seven Mentos into the bottle of soda at the same time, which is trickier than you might think. The experiment became a subject of the television show MythBusters in 2006. Primarily, the sugar, aspartame and potassium benzoate included in the candy shell reduce the work it takes to form bubbles in the soda, causing a rapid creation of carbon dioxide bubbles. Originally it was thought that the colossal fountain of soda spraying out of the bottle was caused by the caffeine in Coke. Something else to consider about diet sodas is that they tend to be less sticky when released out in the open. Making science accessible and fun for youth. Mentos candies contain millions of cavities, roughly 1-3 m in size,[25][10] that remain unwetted when added to a soda. Do they make motorcycle helmets for kids? This low temperature allows the maximum amount of carbon dioxide to dissolve into the soda, keeping the carbonation levels as high as possible. Drop two Mentos into the second bottle and continue increasing the number until youve completed the experiment with all 10 bottles. My cohost for the KUSA-TV science segment was the lovely Kim Christiansen. Mentos Geyser Experiment - Mentos & Coke Experiment - The Lab The goal of this project is to explore the eruption of carbon dioxide when the candy Mentos dissolves in Diet Coke. What is the independent variable in the Mentos and Diet Coke experiment? students used this simple device to monitor the kinetics of foam production in the Diet Coke and Mentos experiment and to draw conclusions about the system. Warm soda tends to fizz much more than cold soda because of the solubility of gases in liquids. [17] This record was afterward beaten in November 2014 by another event organized by Perfetti Van Melle and Chupa Chups in Len, Guanajuato, Mexico, where 4,334 Mentos and soda fountains were set off simultaneously. As they say, the rest is history. Be ready. In addition to the six outlined experiments, weve included suggestions for further fun, giving your future chemist more opportunities to learn and grow. Using any more than seven Mentos mints is just a waste, according to these soda-soaked science enthusiasts. Did a child really die from combining Mentos and Coca-Cola? What would happen if you had Coke and Mentos? eleanorrigby-movie.com 2023 In conclusion the hypothesis that the diet coke will have the greatest explosion because of the high level of CO2 gas contained in it was correct. There really arent that many supplies you need to make a mentos and coke volcano. The bubbles of gas get larger and as they are lighter than the cola liquid, they quickly shoot to the top of the bottle. The participant got it right for $8,000, saying: I saw it on TV, and I bought Mentos and a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke. Observe and explain the Mentos and Diet Coke experiment. . These bubbles rapidly expand and are When the gum arabic was injected at the bottom of the bottle, 100g of mass was lost. This will count as your control group.