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Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Diet Coke and Mentos and the Blue Danube

posted by on May 6 at 8:50 AM

Here’s a beautiful video—it’s absolutely mesmerizing—of Mentos being dropped into bottles of Diet Coke. Another video, yes, but arresting. I’ve watched it three times and now I’m wondering…

Just what the fuck is in Diet Coke, or Mentos, or both, that causes this phenomenon? All the Diet-Coke-and-Mentos videos out there are cute and everything, but wouldn’t the evidence on these videos indicate that there’s something in Mentos or Diet Coke that renders those products unfit for human consumption? And has anyone ever tried—for science’s sake—getting a test subject to chug Diet Coke and then down a handful of Mentos? And what happens then? Does the subject spout great arcs of brownish Diet Coke/Mentos foam? Or does the subect just… explode?

Damn. Too bad we don’t have a public intern at the moment.

RSS icon Comments

1

Gross. I know why you like watching it.

Posted by Mr. Poe | May 6, 2008 9:00 AM
2

I've always wondered about the urban legend regarding feeding Alka-Seltzer to pelicans. Do their stomachs really explode?

Posted by Mike in MO | May 6, 2008 9:01 AM
3

From wikipedia:

There are various theories that are debated as to the exact scientific explanation of the phenomenon; all scientists claim that it is a physical reaction and not a chemical one.[5] To form a new bubble, water molecules must push away from one another. It takes extra energy to break this surface tension. So, in other words, water resists the expansion of bubbles in the soda.

Each Mentos candy has thousands of tiny pores all over its surface. These tiny pores function as nucleation sites for carbon dioxide bubbles to form. As soon as the Mentos enter the soda, bubbles form all over their surface. They quickly sink to the bottom, causing carbon dioxide to be released by the carbonated liquid with which they come into contact along the way.

The reaction was the subject of an August 9, 2006 episode of MythBusters, a popular television program on the Discovery Channel.[6] They concluded that the caffeine, potassium benzoate, aspartame, and CO2 gas contained in the Diet Coke and the gelatin and gum arabic ingredients of the Mentos all contribute to the jet effect.[7] In addition, the MythBusters theorized that the physical structure of the Mentos is the most significant cause of the eruption. When flavored Mentos with a smooth waxy coating were tested in carbonated water, no reaction occurred, whereas standard Mentos added to carbonated water formed a small eruption, by their claim, affirming the nucleation-site theory. This was further supported when rock salt was used as an effective substitute for Mentos.[7] The experiment was also repeated in an episode of Numb3rs.[8]

Posted by Clint | May 6, 2008 9:01 AM
4

Watch the Mythusters episode about it. They talk about the science and what causes the reaction. The crappy Youtube version:

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

They also did a later episode about eating mentos and and then drinking diet coke... turns out nothing happens. Big whoop.

Posted by Frantikgirl | May 6, 2008 9:06 AM
5

Thanks, Clint, you beat me to it (and saved me a lot of typing). Wonder why our intrepid journalist (Dan) couldn't Wiki this.

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty | May 6, 2008 9:07 AM
6

The other Slog internet entries were kind of funny because they were so dated ("'Who wants a body massage?' How random! Oh, this Homestar Runner is quite a hoot!"), but this is getting irritating.
Please, Slog, immerse yourself in the pop culture of four years ago and get it out of your system.

NEXT ON SLOG: A little bird in Tinseltown says there's going to be a sequel to the Lord of the Rings movie! Stay tuned!

Posted by Grandpa | May 6, 2008 9:12 AM
7

He didn't want to find out. He wants us to enjoy the santorum eruptions as much as he does.

Posted by Mr. Poe | May 6, 2008 9:14 AM
8

The most horrible YouTube videos on this, of course, are of folks who actually FIRST swallow Mentos, and THEN chug the Diet Coke, causing the resulting concoction to spew from both ends. The sacrifices people make for science . . .

Posted by Murgen | May 6, 2008 9:21 AM
9

Oh Grandpa, you're that skinny little Kenyan kicking everyone's ass at the footrace of the interwebs.

Posted by UNPAID BLOGGER | May 6, 2008 9:22 AM
10

@9 - interwebs? Please stop perpetuating yet another stupid online cliche. What's next? Are you gonna say that #6 is an epic fail, and then post a pic of a lolcat?

Posted by Dylan! | May 6, 2008 9:33 AM
11

but wouldn’t the evidence on these videos indicate that there’s something in Mentos or Diet Coke that renders those products unfit for human consumption?

No.

No more than putting salt in beer does. Or simply shaking up a bottle of soda for that matter.

That's not saying that, say, soda *is* perfectly fit for consumption, but the fact that it fizzes isn't really evidence of that.

Posted by K | May 6, 2008 9:41 AM
12

@2. I can't speak for pelicans, but as far as my experience with seagulls goes, the answer is no.

Posted by PA Native | May 6, 2008 9:43 AM
13

no one wants to weigh in on the pelican/Alka-Seltzer thing?

Posted by Mike in MO | May 6, 2008 9:44 AM
14

The same thing happens (admittedly on a smaller scale) when you mix vinegar and baking soda. Both of them are staples of the American diet! ...although, not by themselves of course...

Posted by DanFan | May 6, 2008 9:49 AM
15

Oh c'mon you guys and ease up on Grampy Savage here. It ain't easy being au courant with everything when you've got a job and family and a bunch of years. There's only one FUCK in the entire post so he obviously is slowing down. Maybe Geritol is indicated....

Posted by Hartiepie | May 6, 2008 9:51 AM
16

Oh c'mon you guys and ease up on Grampy Savage here. It ain't easy being au courant with everything when you've got a job and family and a bunch of years. There's only one FUCK in the entire post so he obviously is slowing down. Maybe Geritol is indicated....

Posted by Hartiepie | May 6, 2008 9:51 AM
17

#6 was good, and #10 only got better.

I never even got the "interwebs" thing. It's made up. It's either "internets" or "a series of tubes". Kids these days...

Posted by w7ngman | May 6, 2008 9:52 AM
18

Hey... hey hey... did you hear?

Longcat is LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG

Posted by Rev. Syung Myung Me | May 6, 2008 9:59 AM
19

Just so you know, it works with regular coke too. The reason all these videos use diet coke is that it is easier to clean up since there is no sticky sugar involved.

Posted by zef81 | May 6, 2008 10:16 AM
20

There is no truth to the rumor that I offered Fnarf a Mentos after he drank a tall glass of Diet Coke.

None.

Really.

...

I offered to sell it to him, actually.

There's a difference twixt suicide and homicide, you see ...

Posted by Will in Seattle | May 6, 2008 10:28 AM
21

As others have pointed out, it's the pitted surface of the Mentos. If you take one out after a quick dip in the stuff, it's amazing how much surface area there is -- huge pits all over.

The best way to do it is to drill a pencil-sized hole in the cap of the Diet Coke. Also drill a hole through your Mentos (careful! don't hold them in your hand!). Then unbend a paperclip, with a little bend on each end. String as many Mentos on it as you can, like six, with one little bend holding them on, and run the other little bend up into the cap hole from the underside, using the little bend to hold it hanging there, and screw it back on. You may need to pour a little Diet Coke out to leave room. Then unbend the clip so all six Mentos drop in at once. Depending on the size of your hole, you'll get more or less height from your blast. Six should be enough to empty it.

Posted by Fnarf | May 6, 2008 10:31 AM
22

Oh, and you can lay off Dan for being late to the intarwebs. This is NEW; it's shot with the new Casio EX-F1 at 1200 frames per second, which is fascinating.

Posted by Fnarf | May 6, 2008 10:35 AM
23

i see what you're doing there.

Posted by josh bomb | May 6, 2008 10:38 AM
24

It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye.

Posted by Joe in DE | May 6, 2008 10:58 AM
25

Only Fnarf would drill holes in his drinks and candies ... and put out Joe in DE's eye.

Posted by Will in Seattle | May 6, 2008 11:21 AM
26

You need to watch more television. "Mythbusters" covered this a couple of years ago.

Posted by Toe Tag | May 6, 2008 11:23 AM
27

Hey Dan, ingestion of both is definitely not fatal, it just makes you kind of puffy and bloated. There's definitely enough belly porn on YouTube to confirm that, if you're interested.

Posted by spamtastic | May 6, 2008 11:35 AM
28

my little brother says his friend drank a thing of diet coke and then ate a handful of mentos. he got so gassy he threw up all over the place.

Posted by Kelly | May 6, 2008 4:01 PM

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