Activity Overview
Create a geyser in your own backyard and amaze yourself, your family and friends with this hands on Science experiment. Diet Coke is loaded with carbon dioxide that is just begging to be released. Dropping something into the Diet Coke speeds up this process by both breaking the surface tension of the liquid and also allowing bubbles to form on the surface area of the Mentos. The Mentos candies have a dimpled textured surface which adds further to the high amount of carbon dioxide bubbles that collect on the candy surface. The result is a fantastic display of foaming bubbles that shoot out of the soda bottle with great force.
Materials Needed
- Large bottle of Diet Coke
- A half a pack of Mentos Candy
How to Do It
- Find an open outdoor location to perform this experiment.
- Stand the Diet Coke upright and unscrew the bottlecap.
- Drop the Mentos into the Diet Coke simultaneously. You will have to be quick. Doing this part can be tricky. I like to skor the package of Mentos, place the open side above the soda bottle opening and quickly push down on the back end of the pack causing them all to drop in at once.
- Back away quickly. If you've done it properly a huge geyser of foaming Diet Coke should come flying out of the bottle!
