sprite and mentos experiment

Science Fun

Mentos Exploding Soda Easy Science Experiment

In the quick and easy science experiment, we are going to show you how to make your very own Mentos launcher that you can use to make an exploding soda.

A 2-liter Diet Coke. Regular Coke is sticky so we recommend the Diet soda.
Piece on construction paper
Roll of Mentos

Instructions:

Cut a 3 inch by 2 inch rectangle of construction paper.
Orient the long end of the rectangle piece of construction paper along the length of the roll of Mentos.
Fold the construction paper around the roll of Mentos to create a cylinder shape.
Tape the edge of the construction paper securely and slide it off of the tube of Mentos.
Use the hole punch to make a hole near the bottom of the cylinder.
Now make another hole on the other side of the cylinder that aligns and is directly across from the first hole.
Cut a three inch piece of the straw.
Slide the piece of straw through both holes. These will create a barrier to keep Mentos from falling through until you are ready for them to do so.
Remove the cap from the 2-liter Diet Coke.
Tape the construction paper cylinder around the mouth of the 2-liter soda bottle.
Find an outside area that is easy to clean up and can get a little messy. Look up and make sure there is nothing overhead.
Making sure the straw is still in place, add three or four Mentos to the cylinder.
Start a countdown. Three, Two, One, Pull!
Pull the straw and step back quickly.
Observe what happens when the Mentos fall into the soda.

CHECK OUT THE QUICK VIDEO TUTORIAL!

How it Works:

As the Mentos sinks to the bottom of the soda, it causes the quick production of carbon dioxide bubbles. These rising carbon dioxide bubbles react with more carbon dioxide still in the soda causing it to release as well. The pressure builds up and then creates the eruption or geyser of soda.

Make This A Science Project:

Test different types of soda. Test different volumes of soda. There are many flavors of Mentos so you can test these for different effects. You may also want to try different amounts of Mentos to see if there is a visible difference in the height of the eruption. Try different temperatures of soda.

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The Infamous Coke and Mentos Experiment

September 11, 2014 By Emma Vanstone 1 Comment

The science experiments my children talk about for months afterwards are generally the messy ones, like our splatter patterns , glow in the dark oobleck , baking soda experiments and the well known coke and mento experiment .

If you try this classic chemis t ry experiment definitely do it outside as it’s VERY messy and sticky. Sometimes you’ll see it called a coke and mento geyse r, as the eruption looks like a geyser!

Coke and Mentos Experiment

You’ll need:.

Coke or other fizzy soda

Instructions

We dropped two Mentos into a bottle of normal Cola and Diet Cola. I used the cheapest brands available in our local supermarket.

Diet coke and normal coke for a coke and mento geyser eruption

Once you drop the Mentos into the coke, stand back as it’s VERY explosive. The trick is to drop the mento in as fast as you can. If too much of the fizz escapes before you add the mento the reaction won’t be as good.

What happens when Coke and Mentos mix?

There are several theories, but it’s thought that the many small pores on the surface of the mento speed up the release of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) gas from the soda as they give a larger surface area for the reaction to occur over, causing foam to erupt at a super fast rate.

Which soda works best with Mentos?

Any fizzy drink will produce a similar effect, but diet drinks seem to work best, as we found in our investigation. This is most likely due to the particular chemicals in diet drinks.

The reaction isn’t a chemical reaction but a physical reaction! The molecules haven’t been chemically changed, just re-arranged!

See Steve Spangler for a much more thorough explanation of this very cool experiment .

Does the number of mentos affect the height?

More Mentos candies should mean a better explosion, but there is a limit to how many will actually make a difference. We found 7 to be the maximum number we could drop in at once.

More Coke and Mentos Eruption Ideas

Investigate to find out if the type of fizzy drink matters. Does diet soda make a taller geyser?

Try lots of different sodas and diet sodas.

Test fruit-flavoured Mentos instead of mint flavoured.

Find out if the number of mentos affects the height of the geyser.

Investigate to discover what would happen if you left the top off the Cola for a few minutes before adding the Mento.

Use the reaction to power something? Maybe a LEGO car?

Design a device to drop several mentos into the bottle at the same time. Can you find out what the optimum number of mentos for a 2-litre bottle of soda is?

Image of a coke and mento explosion in a garden

Last Updated on April 9, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

Safety Notice

Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.