Episode 57: Diet Coke and Mentos
Air Date: August 9, 2006
Why does dropping Mentos into a bottle of Diet Coke create a geyser effect?
Mostly because the Mentos provide nucleation sites for the dissolved carbon dioxide in the Diet Coke to escape as a gas. Other active ingredients in the cascade-effect reaction include aspartame (artificial sweetener), potassium benzoate (preservative), and caffeine in the Diet Coke; and gum arabic and gelatin in the Mentos. The ingredients seem to have a perfect compatibility with each other and, when mixed together and added to the nucleation, creates a chemical reaction that forces the soda to release all of its dissolved carbon dioxide at once, thus causing a more violent eruption than carbonated water alone.
(This is the first segment not to be assigned a "busted", "plausible" or "confirmed" rating, as there was no "myth" to be proved or disproved. Adam and Jamie did the tests simply to dissect the process and determine what actually makes a so-called Diet Coke geyser work.)
A stamp placed on the rotor of a helicopter can unbalance the spinning rotors enough to cause it to crash.
busted
A stamp in a controlled scale test did not cause any changes to the helicopter rotor’s rotation. The Mythbusters immediately ramped up the test to the scale of 8,000 stamps, which destroyed the scale model helicopter. The full-sized test also produced the same results as the stamp did not cause the helicopter to crash and, according to the pilot, did not cause any significant change in the way the helicopter flew. A stamp placed on the tail rotor also did not cause any noticeable change.
Newer: Episode 58: Shattering Subwoofer
Older: Episode 56: Killer Whirlpool
HOW MANY TYPES OF SODA CAN BE USED FOR THIS
I tested this with Sprite, Coke, and Barq’s Root Beer and they all worked great!
how bout if you mixed diet coke with dry ice ?
i tried this with my friends and it was awsome!
my class is doing this experiment and we did it and i was sprayed all over but it was awsome and it went 12.6 ft ( it got me to spend a little time out of the class. ) THANKS FOR GIVING US THE IDEA!!!
which soda works best other than diet coke
have you ever tried pickels in diet coke
have you ever tried pickels in diet coke
What are some the variables in this experiment? … Science Fair :) I LOVE THIS SHOW!
is it bad if i put mentos in my mouth and then coke
i’m doing a science fair project and this helps more than any thing.
can anyone show me an official news that someone really died on this mentos+diet coke thing? Everyone belives, but i don’t think it really can kill someone..
Does any1 knows anything about mint mentos and diet coke?!?! Like no one can die from diet coke + mentos! I doupt it will kill some1.
if you crush the mentos it will not work as good because it has a lesser surface area then a whole mento. Also if you add rock salt to the reaction it will make it more productive reaction.
omg my science teacher will not let me try the experiment in the science fair dats just so wrong cuz ive done it b4 and it was awsome. My teacher is mean :(
the flavor of mentos does matter it has to be mint
Mint or Fruit both work.
My science teacher is letting me do this for my science fair but I want to know whick has a higher reaction to the mentos, Coke, Pepsi, or Mountain Dew. PLEASE REPLY!
Try them all! This would be an excellent experiment for your science fair project. Figure out how to set the bottles up so you can measure how far the spray goes, and measure how much liquid is left in the bottle afterward. Data + Poster Board + Markers = science fair project.
im doin this for a science report.i have diet coke and no mentoes.should i use a certain type of them?i have a little 12 FL oz. bottle does that matter, i dont want to make atotal mess in the classroom… if you have answers please let me know
thanks! saleana [^:
hey i am doing a science fair project on this any suggestion
use jordan diet coke and dr pepper
if consumed together, can mentos+diet coke causes brain hemorrhage/or heart attack or anything like that?
can a laser pop a balloon
i am doing this for my science fair progect and i am trying to get how do u minus the carbon dixoide
I need to know what materials i will need to use if i want to try this experiment for a school project. The only things that i know i need is a Diet Coke & Mentos.
most fizzy drinks work and alot of softmints do also… polos for example work extremely well. i think this is because it takes longer to suck a mento down then it does to suck a polo meaning that the polo tranfers its chemical energy faster than a mento dose… so MR.Rock Deezy you could make the sweet or drink the variable you controle.
that show was awsome! Me and My science class loved it . Were you really sticky after the experiment. why does Carbon doixide make Diet Coke fiz up with a minto? I know you siad it on the show but I just Don’t get it.
I understand this but the physics how do i get them and the hypothesis. 8th grade science project
Heyy Myth Busters! I Am In 7th Grade And I Am Doinqq A Science Fair Project On Mentos And Soda! I Saw Ur Episode And I Think I Need A Liitle More Informatin..Plz Help Me Thnxx!
-Juliana
Hey me and my friend did this project for science fair so we were wondering how did it turn out.
thanks! this helped alot for my science project!
Hey im doin this for a science project and i wanted to know all the basics cuz my 6th grade science teacher expects alot!! HELP!!!
thanxx Sarah
Im Doing A Reaserch Paper For Chemistry And I Have To Debate Wheather Its A Chemical Reaction Or Physical. Which Is It ?
Its a physical reaction. Trust me. i had to learn about that for my experiment when i did it
i dont think the caffiene has anything to do with the reaction, cause when tried with caffiene-free diet coke, the reaction was the same
can sharks with laser beams on their foreheads actually kill a person
we are doing an experiment at school, diet coke and mentos, we have to try and get it to spray the highest. i got little whole in someekind of a steel lid/nozzle, but i’m not sure yet if it would work better if jou just cut the shell of and crushed it since that would give you more surfice area & it is only the shell that reacts anyway.
does any one have any ideas?
use something with many MANY small holes. the carbon dioxide needs to fit in all of those holes.
thank you very much for this info.Its really taught me a lot and will aid greatly in my science experiment,keep on busting!
its awesome!!!,i swallowed 2mentos and drank diet coke =)..u will feel bloated right away =)
Jimmy Me Boy, ye have the heart of a true Science Pirate. Ar, and the gullet to match.
would a colored mentos work or would it have a different affect?
Mabye
Sincerily,
Zoey Freed
The experiment for this added the Mentos to the coke in the pigs stomach, but the ‘myth’ as Grant said in his conclusion, was to add coke after eating the Mentos.
Would the experiment work if the mentos were added first, for the reaction to work/
When I was a child in Grade School, I remeber reading a story about a Dry Ice Rocket.
is this okay for an 8th grade science project
I am doing this experiment with my dad for a science fair project.I am in 5th grade.Can U PLEASE HELP ME????
Sincerily,
Zoey Freed
WHY DON’T YOU TAKE SODA TO THE LIMIT AND GET A 15 FEET TALL COINTANIER AND 500 MENTOS AND SEE THE ERUPTION
i made a rocket with 967 mentos and i got 367 bottles of coke and it went 1098 feet high and every bottle had 3 mentos in it
Above it says there is no myth around “Why does dropping Mentos into a bottle of Diet Coke create a geyser effect?” However, the other day i was told that if you drink diet coke and then eat a whole mentos, it will cause this “explosion” in your stomach that could kill you. Now that is a myth to be tested!!
cooooooooooooooooooooooooool!! all i have to say(:
Hi we think your show rocks but you should put more episodes so that way you have more fans we live in Augusta kansas