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. Better yet, if we could trigger the drop of the Mentos from a distance, we wouldnt get as wet. In fact, its not really a reaction at all or at least its a physical reaction rather than a chemical one. If we assume that LV is similar for Diet Coke and Caffeine Free Diet Coke, then the work required for bubble formation for Diet Coke is 90% of the work required for bubble formation for Caffeine Free Diet Coke. The trigger pin at the bottom of the tube prevented the Mentos from falling into the bottle until you pulled the string attached to the pin. Figure 1(c) is a magnified view of the edges of a salt grain, and Fig. By the end of the 1990s, however, the manufacturer of Wintergreen LifeSavers increased the size of the mints (no one was ever certain why). 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. So, when a Mento is dropped into some Coke, the acidity of the soda mixture quickly dissolves its shell, releasing the chemicals. At the end of the 1990s, the manufacturer of Wintergreen Lifesavers increased the size of the mints, and they no longer fit in the mouth of soda bottles. Subtract the remaining amount of liquid from the original volume of the bottle to calculate the volume of the geyser. Assuming that youre using the paper tube method, youll want to load the seven Mentos into the tube, cover the bottom of the tube with your finger and position the tube directly over the mouth of the bottle. 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. The warmer the liquid, thelessgas can be dissolved in that liquid. 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. Fast-moving mentos create larger explosions while slow, powdered mentos create tiny ones (Muir, 2008). The colder the liquid, themoregas can be dissolved in that liquid. Or, attach plastic piping or tubing to extend the openings neck. 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 demonstrations on this reaction have been implemented. Dropping something into the Diet Coke speeds up this process by both breaking the surface tension of the liquid and also allowing bubbles to form on the surface area of the Mentos. 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. This high school science fair project investigates if small changes in your diet alter the pH of your saliva. 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. 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. Webfeaturing the famous Diet Coke and Mentos experiment and knew its basic Further research yielded the following background information. Place the second bottle in a place where it will reach room temperature overnight. WebWith the Coke and mint mentos experiment, coke and fruit mentos were very similar as the coke and mint mentos took 31 seconds to complete the reaction while coke and fruit mentos took 22 seconds to complete in total. [10][23][24] Because there usually are very few such pre-existing bubbles, the degassing process is slow. SEM images of playground sand acquired at a beam energy of 20kV and a spot size of 5.0nm. Teachers threaded the roll of Wintergreen LifeSavers onto a pipe cleaner as an easy way to drop all of the LifeSavers into the soda at the same time. The dependent variable is the the Diet Coke with the mentos because it depends on the mentos to have a chemical response. Each mint has thousands of tiny pits all over its surface. [25] These results suggest that additives serve to enhance geyser heights not by decreasing surface tension, but rather by decreasing bubble coalescence. SEM images of Mint Mentos [(a) and (c)] and Fruit Mentos with a candy coating [(b) and (d)]. [12][14] Spangler signed a licensing agreement with Perfetti Van Melle, the maker of Mentos, after inventing an apparatus aimed to make it easier to drop the Mentos into the bottle and produce a large soda geyser. Now its time to actually run the experiment, but first, we need to make a hypothesis. Warning - you are about to disable cookies. What is inside Mentos and cola that reacts with each other causing the eruption? Be ready. It is difficult to find beverages containing aspartame that do not contain a preservative such as potassium benzoate. . Diet Coke and Coke Zero react better with Mentos than regular Coke does because of the absence of sugar. Warm soda tends to fizz much more than cold soda because of the solubility of gases in liquids. 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. [2][10][23][24] When dissolved gas diffuses into bubbles that already exist in a liquid, it is called Type IV bubble nucleation. The liquid samples, including the gum arabic, the baking sodawater mixture, and the Dawnwater mixture, were administered by injection using a 10ml syringe with an 18-gauge needle. When you pull your finger out of the way, all seven Mentos should fall into the bottle at the same time. Adding salt to soda also causes it to foam because thousands of little bubbles form on the surface of each grain of salt. Also, for the same amount of mass lost, the eruption will be more dramatic when the reaction takes place over a shorter time. Diet Coke Lee Marek and "Marek's Kid Scientists" were the first to publicly demonstrate the experiment on the Late Show with David Letterman in 1999. The Mentos And Coke Volcano Experiment. Sample contact angle images for (a) deionized water, (b) deionized water with added aspartame, and (c) deionized water with added potassium benzoate. Then, observe, record and report the results. For example, cut the bottle top to increase the diameter an inch or more. Diet Coke 280 8.6 Conclusion: The more mentos you put in a bottle of pop does not necessarily mean a larger explosion. 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. [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. Oddly enough, this container was actually a pre-form or 2-liter soda bottle before it was blown up into a big bottle. Youll need a thermometer to record the temperature of the soda just before you launch it so that your data are accurate. Write down what happened when you dropped the Mentos in the coke. . Monday Friday The Mythbusters identified the active ingredients in the Diet Coke that contribute to the Mint MentosDiet Coke reaction: caffeine, aspartame, and potassium benzoate, a preservative.1 As shown by the agreement within the 10% experimental error of the mass lost and distance traveled by the sodas spray for Mint Mentos in Diet Coke compared to Mint Mentos in Caffeine Free Diet Coke (see Tables I and II), the presence or absence of caffeine in the beverages contributes little to the reaction. (2021). Beware of the 20-foot stream of soda that will erupt when you pull off this experiment. However, scientists are finding that theres more to this spectacular demonstration than meets the eye. In this project, you'll create Oersted's experiment, which relates to how electric currents create magnetic fields. [1], Lee Marek and "Marek's Kid Scientists" performed the Diet Coke and Mentos experiment on the Late Show with David Letterman in 1999. We showed the importance of sample roughness by comparing SEM and AFM images of the samples to the explosive power of the reaction. Its a fascinating experiment that can get young students interested in science, but we over here at Quantum Outreach have long pondered about the science behind this phenomenon. It is the classic Diet Coke and Mentos "geyser" experiment, but with the added rigor of using the scientific method to answer the question "Which will cause a larger reaction: the sugar in regular Coke or the aspartame in Diet Coke?" Since diet sodas lack the sugar that regular ones do, it has lower viscosity and surface tension. The solution becomes supersaturated with carbon dioxide when the bottle is opened, and the pressure is released. This will happen because the dissolved CO2 will provide the most nucleation sites to come out of the solution. Hypothesis: The larger the number of mentos, and the warmer the temperature of the soda, the higher the reaction will be. These bubbles rapidly expand and are The independent variable was the altering of each Mento. To get the best results in a science experiment, you will need to standardize the test conditions as much as possible. Where is the Savannah River nuclear plant? This is what happens when you combine 200 liters of Diet Coke and over 500 Mentos mints! Because of this, the addition of Mentos candies to a carbonated beverage provides enormous numbers of pre-existing bubbles into which dissolved carbon dioxide can escape. 3 I recently led a large group of undergraduate physics students in a cooperative research project to Drop two Mentos into the second bottle and continue increasing the number until youve completed the experiment with all 10 bottles. This easy at-home experiment is a great way to "see" science. 1 So the relatively small amount of caffeine in a 2 l bottle of Coke doesnt significantly affect the reaction. Try placing the soda bottle next to the wall of a brick building, after getting permission from the buildings owner, of course. However, the importance of the presence of surfactants in the Mentos cannot be denied. All of our results seem to contradict the aforementioned Mythbusters experiment. Aspiring Botanists, and even young gardeners, will get excited about science with this hands-on kit. It truly is the perfect chemistry kit for kids who want to explore. The Coke and Mentos Experiment is an easy science experiment to do with kids of all ages. Even toddlers and preschoolers will shriek with delight as they watch this chemical reaction take place. Use the hot glue gun to glue 7 - 8 mentos together. This is optional, it just helps to add all of the mentos into the bottle at the same time. The reaction has been performed numerous times on television and the Internet, but has not been systematically studied. WebSince which invention of cola, the gegner between Pepsi and Coca-Cola (i.e., Coke) has had in existence. Does the amount of Mentos affect the height of the explosion? Drop the Mentos into the diet soda. The bottom line was that we needed to find a way to standardize the drop of those Mentos mints. Put the index card on top of the tube loader and turn the tube upside down. We used a FEI Quanta 200 electron scanning microscope. To compare two systems, we calculate a ratio of the works required for bubble formation: We used this technique to compare the work required for formation of a bubble in deionized water to other liquids, as summarized in Table IV. As the mentos candy sinks in the bottle, the candy We put 4 mentos pieces into the bottle of diet coke. Watch as they vanish right before your eyes in water as they grow. A variety of containers with varying sized opening, A narrow test tube wide enough to fit the candy [Klutz and others make a delivery contraption that is easier.]. The lower magnification image of the Fruit Mentos has smooth patches in contrast to the lower magnification image of the Mint Mentos, but the candy coating is not uniform. The seltzer and tonic water trials had the same expiration date and were manufactured by the same company. Spanish-English dictionary, translator, and learning, Marketplace for millions of educator-created resources. Due to the small amount of caffeine in a 2l bottle of Diet Coke, we do not agree that the caffeine in Diet Coke contributes significantly to the reaction. How many protons and electrons are present in Ba2+? It should not introduce any new information, but rather summarize the key points made in the discussion section. Is there another way for the carbon dioxide to escape? If you want a more specific measurement, use chalk to mark off 1-foot increments before you drop the Mentos into the bottle of soda. The pressurized conditions of the bottle and the surface tension of the water keep the gas in solution, even though it wants to escape (the gas that escapes makes the fizzy sound you hear when you open the bottle) (Science Buddies, 2012). 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. This science kit seeks to challenge kids to solve problems in creative ways that will prepare them for future science classes and nurture their lifelong imagination. They both ended up having 1 oz out of 8 oz ounces leave the beaker and into the air around too. Drop one Mentos candy into the first bottle and record the height by counting the wet bricks or by using your own scale. In addition to the six outlined experiments, weve included suggestions for further fun, giving your future chemist more opportunities to learn and grow. Some helpful comments were made by the anonymous referees. [2], The nucleation reaction can start with any heterogeneous surface, such as rock salt, but Mentos have been found to work better than most. This in turns means that the carbon dioxide gas is more rapidly released. This experiment investigates if small changes in your diet can alter your basal body temperature. What is the conclusion of the Coke and Mentos experiment? Amazing Facts About Diet Coke And Mentos Experiment. What is the independent variable in Coke and Mentos experiment? The sugar reduces the contact angle more than pure water and causes more mass to be lost from the seltzer during the reaction, but more mass is lost by the beverages with potassium benzoate and aspartame. What is it with this experiment with soda and Mentos that causes this explosion to shoot so far into the air? Overall I expect the Pepsi and Mentos to create a fountain like reaction. As they say, the rest is history. After this, two interested scientists from the entertainment company EepyBird, Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz decided to post a Youtube video demonstrating this experiment and it went viral, gaining 120 million views. Explore the science of building polymers by cross-linking long chains of molecules. Before you get started, youll need to find a location suitable for the experiment. 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.[1][2]. 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. [20][12][14][17] It has been claimed that gelatin and gum arabic in the Mentos candy enhance the fountain,[12][14][26] but experiments have shown that these candy additives do not affect the fountain. 2.) Its also a lot less work than your classic paper mache volcano. The question in the hypothesis was answered too, with the answer being no. This, in turn, allows the soda to form smaller bubbles that can retain its structure for longer due to the reduced surface area of the bubble. Based on the Data, the hypothesis of my experiment (If the Diet Coke is heated, then it will have the highest geyser, because the atoms will be moving more rapidly and act as a catalyst) was proven to be correct. Science of Mentos-Diet Coke explosions explained. What are the independent and dependent variables in Coke and Mentos? All the carbon dioxide in the soda all that fizz is squeezed into the liquid and looking for a way out. Experimental measurements suggest that as many as 14 million bubbles are produced per liter of soda in this experiment.[19]. The potassium benzoate and the aspartame are active ingredients in the Mint MentosDiet Coke reaction, but the aspartame likely contributes more to the reaction. Thats my final answer.. 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. In Eq. 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 bubbles of gas get larger and as they are lighter than the cola liquid, they quickly shoot to the top of the bottle. It has also been shown that a wide variety of beverage additives such as sugars, citric acid, and natural flavors can also enhance fountain heights. Decide who will do what, so you will be ready when its your turn. The mint Mentos mixed with diet coke usually explodes the longer and higher while fruit Mentos has a more delayed and less impressive reaction. Conclusion: The more mentos you put in a bottle of pop does not necessarily mean a larger explosion. 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.
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