Mentos and Coke experiment

Today we conducted another science experiment using readily available household materials.

Our Educare friends joined us to watch this experiment.

Firstly we had to put the coke bottle securely amongst the gravel.

Erika opened the coke bottle.... and we waited.....

Can you spot the test tube with the mentos waiting to be tipped into the coke?

Milz tipped the test tube (with mentos inside) upside down and lined it up with the coke bottle opening. She then pulled the cardboard out and moved back quickly!

And..... ACTION!!!!!!!!

It only took one second until there was a fountain of coke spurting up to about 20cm above the top of the coke bottle. The mixture continued to bubble inside the bottle for quite some time.

All that was left - half a bottle of coke with mentos sunk to the bottom!

We think that there was a chemical reaction between the coke and the mentos. The carbon dioxide (in the fizz) caused the coke to be spurted up out of the bottle as soon as it came into contact with the mentos lollies.

We were left wondering........

• Would we get the same reaction with other types of fizz or is there something special in coke that makes it react like this?
  
• Would other types of lollies work so well, for example, Eclipse mints?
  
• How about the fruit flavoured Mentos? Would they give the same reaction?


• What would happen if we put a mentos and some coke in our mouth at the same time?
  

Check out the Guiness Record set in Mexico in August 2010 - the most mentos and coke explosions to happen at once anywhere in the world!!!! Click the u-tube link below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIggtympoa0