Have you thought about the temperature of the drink? Temperature is a really important factor in this experiment, and it is rarely mentioned in tutorials and videos. Our experiments confirmed that cold bottles of coke and lemonade, straight out of the fridge, do not work very well.
They produce a rubbish geyser and the reaction is much slower compared to drinks that are at room temperature. Bottles warmed up in the sun are the BEST! Check out our image below, and yes, we dropped the Mentos in at the same time!!
The drink on the right had just come out of the fridge we cooled the Mentos too , and the one on the left was at room temperature — what a difference! We made a video too…. At warmer temperature CO2 gas particles and other molecules have more energy. This happens because the surface of Mentos has thousands of microscopic pores, peaks, pits and craters in it — so what we see to be a smooth outer shell is pure deception. Thousands of microscopic carbon dioxide bubbles accumulate in these pockets, which then leaves gaps inside the bottle.
This forces the liquid to overflow and shoot out. Speed and pressure are also important factors in the explosivity of Coke fountains. 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. And will it happen if you put other stuff in soda pop? Place a straw in the soda and look at the straw from the side. What to expect. Bubbles will form on the straw and very quickly and completely cover the pipe cleaner. What's happening in there?
Why do the bubbles form on the different things you put in the soda? The carbon dioxide molecules collect on these places and form bubbles which rise to the surface. Make a Mentos-and-Soda Fountain! First, make a tube for the Mentos. Cut a piece of paper so that it is as wide as a roll of Mentos.
Open the pack of Mentos and place all of them in the tube. Now, make a Mentos-and-soda fountain!
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