Soda geyser: Difference between revisions
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==Cause== |
==Cause== |
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When the Mentos come into contact with the Diet Coke, a reaction causes the rapid formation of foam. |
When the Mentos come into contact with the Diet Coke, a reaction causes the rapid formation of foam. |
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when the Mentos with purple polka dots come in contact with the diet coke, sit goes 5 feet tall. |
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''[[MythBusters]]'' concluded that the [[potassium benzoate]], [[aspartame]], and CO<sub>2</sub> gas contained in the Diet Coke, in combination with the [[gelatin]] and [[gum arabic]] ingredients of the Mentos, all contribute to the formation of the foam.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/mythbusters/diet-coke-and-mentos/episode/822481/summary.html |title=Mythbusters: Diet Coke and Mentos |publisher=TV.com |date= |accessdate=2009-09-20}}</ref> |
''[[MythBusters]]'' concluded that the [[potassium benzoate]], [[aspartame]], and CO<sub>2</sub> gas contained in the Diet Coke, in combination with the [[gelatin]] and [[gum arabic]] ingredients of the Mentos, all contribute to the formation of the foam.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/mythbusters/diet-coke-and-mentos/episode/822481/summary.html |title=Mythbusters: Diet Coke and Mentos |publisher=TV.com |date= |accessdate=2009-09-20}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 14:28, 26 November 2013
A Diet Coke and Mentos eruption (or Diet Coke and Mentos geyser) is a reaction between a carbonated beverage and Mentos candies that causes the beverage to spray out of its container.
The numerous small pores on the candy's surface catalyze the release of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas from the soda, resulting in the rapid expulsion of copious quantities of foam. Although any carbonated beverage will produce a similar effect, the reaction was popularized using Diet Coke for seemingly producing the best results.
Cause
When the Mentos come into contact with the Diet Coke, a reaction causes the rapid formation of foam.
when the Mentos with purple polka dots come in contact with the diet coke, sit goes 5 feet tall.
MythBusters concluded that the potassium benzoate, aspartame, and CO2 gas contained in the Diet Coke, in combination with the gelatin and gum arabic ingredients of the Mentos, all contribute to the formation of the foam.[1]
The structure of the Mentos is the most significant cause of the eruption due to nucleation. MythBusters reported that when fruit-flavored Mentos with a smooth waxy coating were tested in carbonated drink there was hardly a reaction, whereas mint-flavored Mentos (with no such coating) added to carbonated drink formed an energetic eruption, affirming the nucleation-site theory. According to MythBusters, the surface of the mint Mentos is covered with many small holes that increase the surface area available for reaction (and thus the quantity of reagents exposed to each other at any given time), thereby allowing CO2 bubbles to form with the rapidity and quantity necessary for the "jet"- or "geyser"-like nature of the effusion.[2]
This hypothesis gained further support when rock salt was used as a "jump start" to the reaction. A paper by Tonya Coffey, a physicist at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, confirmed that the rough surface of the Mentos candy helps speed the reaction. Coffey also found that the aspartame in diet soda lowers the surface tension and causes a bigger reaction, but that caffeine does not accelerate the reaction.[3][4]
Event
A Guinness World Record of 2,865 simultaneous geysers was set on October 17, 2010, in an event organized by Perfetti Van Melle at the SM Mall of Asia Complex, in Manila, Philippines.[5]
See also
References
- ^ "Mythbusters: Diet Coke and Mentos". TV.com. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
- ^ "Mythbusters: Diet Coke and Mentos MiniMyth".
- ^ "Science of Mentos-Diet Coke explosions explained". Newscientist.com. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
- ^ Coffey, Tonya Shea (2008). "Diet Coke and Mentos: What is really behind this physical reaction?". American Journal of Physics. 76 (6): 551–557. doi:10.1119/1.2888546.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ "Most Mentos and soda fountains". Guinness World Records. 2010-10-17. Retrieved 2011-05-27.
Further reading
- Baur, John E.; Baur, Melinda B. (2006). "The Ultrasonic Soda Fountain: A Dramatic Demonstration of Gas Solubility in Aqueous Solutions". Journal of Chemical Education. 83 (4): 577–580. doi:10.1021/ed083p577.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|lastauthoramp=ignored (|name-list-style=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) (registration required)