Everyone knows what will happen if we throw a few Mentos into Cola - recordings of such experiments are not difficult to find on the Internet (and new ones are constantly appearing). Sometimes even teachers decide to perform it with children in schools. Well, after all, everyone is fascinated by this spectacular and sudden geyser that will gush out of a Coke bottle after throwing at least a few Mentos into it.

But have you ever wondered what exactly is this reaction?

Everything according to… the laws of physics

Many people, looking at the experiment with Coca-Cola and Mentos, wonder if the rapid eruption of the drink is not due to some chemical processes that take place between the ingredients of both products. The truth is that the whole phenomenon is based more on physics than chemistry. The starting point is that gas accumulates on porous elements. And the surface of Mentos is rough (i.e. porous), although it is not visible to the naked eye. At Coca-Cola, we have gas again - carbon dioxide. This is the main reason why there is such a reaction between Cola and Mentos.

So let's add a pinch of chemistry

Chemical reactions are not the main causes of the "geyser", but they also play a supporting role. What exactly? Coca-Cola contains one special ingredient - orthophosphoric acid, which again significantly increases the solubility of Mentos. The candy surface quickly becomes even more porous and thus absorbs even more carbon dioxide.

In turn, the composition of Mentos includes sodium bicarbonate - it reacts with this acid and releases additional carbon dioxide. As a result, the Mentos falling to the bottom of the Coca-Cola bottle collects such an amount of carbon dioxide that it simply pushes the liquid out of the bottle under considerable pressure. This results in a short-lived but very spectacular effect of a "geyser" or "fountain" flowing from the beverage bottle.

Better results with Zero Cola

If you plan to conduct an experiment with Cola and Mentos - it's best to choose Cola Zero. Why? Sugar interferes with the release of gas, and there is quite a lot of it in Cola. There is less of it in Cola Light. The less sugar in the drink, the more effective our show will be.

Is it dangerous to your health?

On the Internet you can come across various theses about the "deadly" power of a mixture of Cola and Mentos. They are not real. You can drink the Cola to which we previously threw Mentos (and which is left) - it will only be gassed.

What if Mentosa and Cola meet in the human stomach? Relax - no one will die. First, stomach acids will largely neutralize the ingredients of the products. At most, we can develop ailments such as short-term pain or discomfort in the stomach, a large amount of gas and belching. It was proved by the popular Canadian YouTuber of Polish origin "Furious Pete", who washed down quite a lot of Mentos with even more Cola (After all, it's better to have fun with Cola and Mentos "outside").

 

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