Mentos on Good Morning America
These television news shows just can’t seem to get enough of this. I’ve been away in Alaska on a family vacation and the phone keeps ringing. Television producers are all asking the same questions… “Why does this work and why are people so drawn to posting videos on the internet?” Well, we can help out when it comes to explaining the science behind the reaction. As for the reason why people like to post videos on the internet, I’ll leave that up to you.
The latest Mentos sighting was on Good Morning America this morning.
For a very analytical and scientific understanding of this experiment, read the article by two analytical chemists at the Dept. of Chemistry at Illinois State Univ. called “The Ultrasonic Soda Fountain: A Dramatic Demonstration of Gas Solubility in Aqueous Solutions.” This can be found in the Journal of Chemical Education or on-line as a PDF file at: http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/HS/Journal/Issues/2006/Apr/clicSubscriber/V83N04/p577.pdf
These scientists, applying a true inquiry based scientific process, identify Diet Coke as the best supersaturated carbonated liquid to use. Discussion of bubble formation, temperature effects, presence of other dissolved materials, and Henry’s Law (describes the relationship between the concentration
of a gas dissolved in a solvent and the partial
pressure of the gas). With this phenomena of releasing carbon dioxide quickly from a gas/liquid mixture, more teachers should take advantage of this opportunity to explore this science with their students. Everyone should share in this excitement and be involved with inquiry based, hands-on and minds-on science activities that helps us understand and learn from the world around us.
Joe – Thanks for the follow-up info, especially the note about the Diet Coke. I read the article and see that their conclusion about Diet Coke is also based on how high the stream of liquid shot up into the air – the same method that all of us hackers are using as well. When we did our research for the television show, the people at Coca-Cola would not share any specific info about their levels of CO2. I must admit that it’s tough to tell the difference between Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi. Thanks for the reference on the article for the people who want to learn more.