Mentos + Soda = Explosion

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image Given the urban legend about kids eating pop rocks and soda, and then having their stomachs explode, I wouldn't have believed that mixing Mentos and soda could cause such a violent reaction. But after watching the video posted on WLTX's website, I do. (You need Windows Media Player to view it, and I had to click the "Trouble Viewing" button to make it work.) To summarize what the video shows, three Mentos are dropped into a bottle of soda, causing a geyser of soda to shoot up about three or four feet high out of the bottle. This really makes me wonder what would happen if you drank a can of soda and then downed a pack of Mentos. Personally I'm not planning to find out. I'm sure it wouldn't kill you, but I imagine it would fizz up into your throat and nose. WLTX provides this scientific explanation for the phenomenon:

Mentos contains a chemical known as ARABIC GUM (this is the ingredient that makes the mint "chewy"). This ingredient causes the surface tension of the water molecules to break even more easily, releasing more carbon dioxide gas at an astounding rate! .....The gas causes pressure to rapidly build inside the bottle which thrusts the soda upwards in a wonderful fountain-like BLAST!

Food

Posted on Fri Sep 23, 2005


Comments

my experiment was beasty
Posted by gilly  on  Fri Oct 22, 2010  at  05:01 AM
hey! ;] i am doing this project for school about mentos in soda but i have a few questions .: what soda works best with the explosion? whats the difference between pepsi and other sodas?? what are the ingredients in diet pepsi campared to other sodas;]
Posted by brittni  on  Sun Oct 24, 2010  at  07:11 PM
commentors your the one who looked up know what
Posted by ggfgfg  on  Wed Jan 19, 2011  at  01:23 PM
no body needs your comments if there bad got that cause u better
Posted by ggfgfg  on  Wed Jan 19, 2011  at  01:26 PM
Ok so my daughter and I did the experiment with coke and sprite, sprite only went about 22ft vs coke having 25ft both brand new 2L does anyone knw what factors that? Maybe the caffeine? Pls email me!!!! This project is due this MONDAY THE 6TH!!!
Posted by angelica  on  Fri Feb 03, 2012  at  09:21 PM
im doing this project for my science fair project!!!!! 🐍
Posted by Chelsie Brandt  on  Fri Mar 22, 2013  at  07:39 AM
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