The Mentos + Diet Coke reaction.


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I'm pretty sure the Mentos + Diet Coke experiment is well-known on the Internet.

What I want to understand is how Mentos candy affects the Diet Coke via eruption. I did some Googling on gum arabic, which some say is the ingredient that fuels the reaction, but others say it isn't. I know gum arabic is an ingredient of Mentos, but I don't know how it relates to the carbon dioxide gas of soda beverages. Others also refute the "diet" part of the soda, as in, it doesn't have to be diet or whatever. Diet soda beverages are preferable because they contain aspartame. I looked up the definition of aspartame, but I don't understand why or how aspartame makes it easier for Mentos to create the explosion.

If anyone could better explain the reaction of Mentos + Diet Coke to me, I'd be much grateful. I chose to do this as my science project and I'd love to understand the topic more before actually carrying out the experiment myself.

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According to Numb3rs, something about the gum (more like the mint in the gum hypersaturating something) weakining the surface tension which causes the gases (carbon dioxide) to escape very rapidly.

I think they use Diet Coke because it may have more carbon dioxide (atleast it feels like it).

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Edited by Virtues of Evil
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Wow, thanks for your reply! :)

I'm a bit curious about gum arabic though. Don't soda beverages also have gum arabic as an ingredient as well? So does that mean having more gum arabic (hence adding the Mentos) affect the experiment, like twofold?

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^ My project partner had her brother drink Diet Coke while he had Mentos in his mouth. The liquid somewhat basically came leaking out of his mouth.

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this can be done with several sodas, their reactions may not be the same power but ive seen it doen with regular pepsi, and coke. It has something to do with hypersaturating as stated above.

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  • 2 months later...

There was a video floating around a while ago with some guys who tried this. If you put the top on you have a pretty powerful bomb.

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^ a handful of dry ice with a little water in an empty bottle that is screwed shut has the same 'explosive' effect

with regards to the mythbusters pic, is it photoshopped? i seem to remember her being fully clothed on the show :p

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^ a handful of dry ice with a little water in an empty bottle that is screwed shut has the same 'explosive' effect

with regards to the mythbusters pic, is it photoshopped? i seem to remember her being fully clothed on the show :p

that photo is from a photoshoot for Maxim, FHM or some other guy mag. I think FHM.

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