What makes coke and mentos react

The formation of carbon dioxide bubbles is like a chain reaction that exponentially accumulates, causing pressure to build in a fraction of a second. The narrow neck of the bottle also intensifies the pressure and speed because it forces the flow rate to increase. For all the liquid to leave through the opening, the upstream pressure then also has to increase, redirecting the flow of the Coke upwards and — you know the rest: explosion.

There are many other factors that can affect the height of a soda fountain when Mentos react with Coca-Cola, such as the viscosity of the liquid and presence of other chemicals in the mixture.

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. Aside from the microscopic structures on the outside of the Mentos shells, there are several chemicals that make Coca-Cola explode in this way.

These chemicals are found in the shell itself as well as in the soda mixture, and they contribute to the formation of pressurised foam. Here are some of the chemicals that make up the shell:. These ingredients act as surfactants and help accelerate the release of carbon dioxide gas. Surfactants lower the surface tension between two liquids, a liquid and a solid, or between a gas and a liquid.

So, when a Mento is dropped into some Coke, the acidity of the soda mixture quickly dissolves its shell, releasing the chemicals. Their surfactant properties then lower the surface tension of the Coke, which breaks apart the water molecules and, in doing so, allows carbon dioxide bubbles to form more readily. What does the inside of the candies look like?

Tape the tube together on the side. Make sure that the bottle is on a level surface and stably standing straight. Why do you think all of this is important? Line up where the opening of the bottle is with the opening of your cartridge. Quickly pull out the flat index card, releasing the Mentos candies into the bottle. Then step back without tipping the bottle over or disturbing the reaction. About how high did the eruption go?

How much cola is left in the bottle? As with the first bottle, remove the cap and place the flat index card on top, covering the hole. Put on your eye protection and start the video camera. Quickly pull out the flat index card, releasing the crushed Mentos into the bottle, then step back without tipping the bottle over or disturbing the reaction. How high did the eruption appear to go? How much liquid is left in the bottle? Is it more or less than the amount that was left when you used whole candies?

If you videotaped the reactions, you can watch your videos now. What do you notice from the videos? Lots of nucleation sites! Search for:. The Science of Coke and Mentos. Appearances Fan Videos Just Because. Experiment 13A: A Bad Idea ». EepyBird explores creativity, and the ways ordinary objects can do extraordinary things.

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Website design and development by Vital Design. A 2 Litre bottle of coke or lemonade have 8 litres of CO2 dissolved in them. Have you noticed, your fizzy drink has tiny bubbles appearing on the side of the glass at a particular spot?

This is because bubbles form on tiny pits on the surface of a container. These imperfections are called nucleation sites. On your glass, there are fine imperfections which act as nucleation points where the bubbles can form and escape. Mentos have hundreds of tiny imperfections nucleation sites on their surface.

Dropping Mentos into coke or lemonade allows the dissolved gas within the liquid to come out of the liquid super-fast at these nucleation points on the Mentos surface.