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How to: A Chemical Reaction With Soda That Makes a Spray

When you open a bottle of carbonated soda or water, or even champagne, tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide (CO2) form in the liquid and rise to the surface, giving the liquid its sparkle, or fizz. Henry's law, or p = kc, predicts this event. By opening the bottle, you reduce the partial pressure (p) of CO2 in the space above the liquid. This, in turn, reduces the concentration (c) of CO2 dissolved in the liquid, which leads to the formation and escape of CO2 as bubbles. Use Mentos mints and Diet Coke to create a dramatic example of this reaction.

Things You'll Need

  • 2 sheets of notebook paper
  • 1 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke
  • 1 roll of Mentos mints
  • Assistant
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Instructions

    • 1

      Carry two sheets of notebook paper, one 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke and one roll of Mentos mints outdoors or to a location that won't be harmed by sprayed and spilled Diet Coke.

    • 2

      Place your 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke upright on a flat surface, like a concrete sidewalk or driveway.

    • 3

      Roll one of your sheets of paper into a tube that is slightly wider than the mouth of your 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke.

    • 4

      Open your 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke.

    • 5

      Hold your second sheet of notebook paper over the mouth of the bottle of Diet Coke so that it is parallel to and covers the mouth of the bottle.

    • 6

      Hold your sheet of notebook paper rolled into a tube vertical to the sheet of paper covering the mouth of the bottle and aligned with the mouth of the bottle. This tube will guide your Mentos mints into the bottle when you pull away the piece of paper covering the mouth of the bottle.

    • 7

      Ask your assistant to open a roll of Mentos mints and empty the Mentos into the tube of notebook paper.

    • 8

      Remove the piece of paper covering the mouth of your 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke so that the Mentos mints in the paper tube spill into the 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke.

    • 9

      Stand clear of the reaction that takes place.


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