One of the coolest things of the past decade has been the discovery of what happens when you put Mentos into Diet Coke; it produces a fizzy explosion - it’s awesome! Everyone seems to have his or her own explanation as to why this happens.
When the Mythbusters looked into this, their answer had two parts. First, the Mentos surface is covered with little tiny bumps that serve as a nucleation site. These small dimples allow the carbon dioxide (CO2) in the soda to separate and the gas to be explosively released. If you have a sip of the soda afterwards, you’ll see it tastes flat. Normally this process happens at a much slower pace when soda is in a glass or the cap is left off. You can see this as bubbles on the side of the bottle after opening.
The other part of the reaction is a chemical one. Many sodas react in a similar way when you drop Mentos into them, but Diet Coke or Coke Zero create the biggest reactions. It’s because of the chemicals inside the soda. Diet Coke and Coke Zero both use artificial sweeteners like aspartame, which have a chemical reaction with the Mentos. These reactions cause an awesome explosion of soda.
Anyone can just open a bottle of soda and drop in some candy. What I’m doing here is weaponizing the Diet Coke so I can quickly trigger an explosion by pulling the pin, like a grenade. Also, since I’m giving the explosion a smaller hole to go through, there will be a lot more force and the soda will travel a lot higher.
When the Mythbusters looked into this, their answer had two parts. First, the Mentos surface is covered with little tiny bumps that serve as a nucleation site. These small dimples allow the carbon dioxide (CO2) in the soda to separate and the gas to be explosively released. If you have a sip of the soda afterwards, you’ll see it tastes flat. Normally this process happens at a much slower pace when soda is in a glass or the cap is left off. You can see this as bubbles on the side of the bottle after opening.
The other part of the reaction is a chemical one. Many sodas react in a similar way when you drop Mentos into them, but Diet Coke or Coke Zero create the biggest reactions. It’s because of the chemicals inside the soda. Diet Coke and Coke Zero both use artificial sweeteners like aspartame, which have a chemical reaction with the Mentos. These reactions cause an awesome explosion of soda.
Anyone can just open a bottle of soda and drop in some candy. What I’m doing here is weaponizing the Diet Coke so I can quickly trigger an explosion by pulling the pin, like a grenade. Also, since I’m giving the explosion a smaller hole to go through, there will be a lot more force and the soda will travel a lot higher.
Materials:
*2-liter bottle of Diet Coke or Coke Zero
*pack of Mentos
*1 wire coat hanger
*another bottle cap from a 2-liter bottle $
*pack of Mentos
*1 wire coat hanger
*another bottle cap from a 2-liter bottle $
Tools:
*nail (thicker than coat hanger) $
*hammer
*hacksaw
*metal file $
*pliers $
*scrap piece of wood
*hammer
*hacksaw
*metal file $
*pliers $
*scrap piece of wood
Steps:
1. Use a hacksaw to cut the straight bottom of the wire coat hanger.
2. Measure about 2/3 or 6 to 8 inches from the first cut, then cut the coat hanger again. When you are finished you should have a long thin metal rod. Discard the rest of the coat hanger, unless you can think of a cool use for the hook.
2. Measure about 2/3 or 6 to 8 inches from the first cut, then cut the coat hanger again. When you are finished you should have a long thin metal rod. Discard the rest of the coat hanger, unless you can think of a cool use for the hook.
3. Use your pliers and bend a right angle (like the corner of a piece of paper) in the middle of the coat hanger part.
4. Bend another right angle in the wire about 1 inch from the previous one. Make sure the bend goes in the opposite direction and does not make a “U” shape. Bend two more right angels 1 inch apart.
5. You should have something now that looks like a square lollipop. Use your metal file to give the bottom of the “lollipop
stick” enough of a point to spear a mint.
6. Next, we’ll need to poke an opening into the extra bottle cap. The reason you need an extra bottle cap is because we don’t want the soda to stay open for long and lose some carbonation. Over a piece of scrap wood (not your mother’s favorite table, trust me), use the nail to hammer a hole right through the middle of the cap. Hammer until the point of the nail goes all the way through the bottle cap. Then, wiggle the nail to remove it. Your hole should be about 1/4 - 1/2 inch wide.
7. Now thread the “lollipop” coat hanger through the bottle cap, be sure that the open part of the cap faces down towards the sharpened point. This is the trigger pin for our Soda POP! grenade.
4. Bend another right angle in the wire about 1 inch from the previous one. Make sure the bend goes in the opposite direction and does not make a “U” shape. Bend two more right angels 1 inch apart.
5. You should have something now that looks like a square lollipop. Use your metal file to give the bottom of the “lollipop
stick” enough of a point to spear a mint.
6. Next, we’ll need to poke an opening into the extra bottle cap. The reason you need an extra bottle cap is because we don’t want the soda to stay open for long and lose some carbonation. Over a piece of scrap wood (not your mother’s favorite table, trust me), use the nail to hammer a hole right through the middle of the cap. Hammer until the point of the nail goes all the way through the bottle cap. Then, wiggle the nail to remove it. Your hole should be about 1/4 - 1/2 inch wide.
7. Now thread the “lollipop” coat hanger through the bottle cap, be sure that the open part of the cap faces down towards the sharpened point. This is the trigger pin for our Soda POP! grenade.
8. To arm the grenade we’ll need to put Mentos onto the trigger pin. The best way is to put the mints on that piece of scrap wood and place the pin in the middle, then lean over the pin and use your weight to push the point through each mint. Some might break, but that’s okay. It’s why you bought a whole pack. After you have threaded three, pop a mint or two in your mouth. The grenade pin is now ready.
9. To arm your weaponized cola, take the cap off of the soda and screw your grenade pin cap in place. Do not shake or tilt!
9. To arm your weaponized cola, take the cap off of the soda and screw your grenade pin cap in place. Do not shake or tilt!
10. Tell your friends how cool you are and place the Diet Coke and Mentos grenade on a flat piece of land outside. (If you do this inside, expect to be grounded for 100 years. I would say “trust me” again, but even I’m not that dumb.) Make sure that the bottle is firmly on the ground. Give an important speech or a countdown before you pull the pin.
11. Pull the pin.
12. Scream, laugh, or smile as you watch the brown soda shoot out of the bottle and cascade down.
11. Pull the pin.
12. Scream, laugh, or smile as you watch the brown soda shoot out of the bottle and cascade down.
