Mentos, the makers of Mentos Chewy Mints, explains on its website that soda and other fizzy drinks contain a certain amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that is dissolved in water in the form of tiny bubbles or carbonation. Mentos plus soda equals an explosive experiment we had to try. VERIFY viewer James asked whether dropping Mentos into any soda can cause an explosion, like it does with Diet Coke. Here's what we Explosions Introduction Have you ever seen the Diet Coke and Mentos experiment that is all over the Internet and wondered what makes the reaction work? You might think that there is some But in fact, according to Scientific American, the explosion is a physical reaction, not a chemical one. It all goes back to the carbonation of the soda. The reason that soda is bubbly is because it's pumped full of carbon dioxide and then trapped within a can or bottle, where the gas can't escape. A Mentos dropped into a bottle of soda acts as a surfactant, meaning it reduces the surface tension of the soda. Water molecules are polar and attracted to each other. Anything that breaks them apart allows for bubbles of carbon dioxide gas to form in the solution. 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: hRwE1XZ.

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