Activity

Coke and mentos

Summary
Drop mentos into coke to produce a fountain of foam.
Science content
Chemistry: States of Matter, Properties of Materials (K-7)
Chemistry: Physical Changes, Solutions, Mixtures and Separating (2, 4, 5, 6)
Lessons activity is in
Materials
  • diet coke, 2l bottle (diet is less sticky)
  • mentos, one packet of mint (the fruit flavour ones are coated and don't work)
  • narrow tube or card that can hold the mentos in a line, and a small card. alternatively a paper funnel
Procedure

Open the bottle of diet coke and place in an open space.
Move the students back.
Pour the mentos into the tube, so that they are all lined up and will fall out fast. Put a card over the top of the tube, and invert it over the coke bottle. Pull out the card and move back fast. (Alternatively, use a paper funnel to pour in the mentos - the faster you can get them in, the better.)

A giant fountain of foam is produced.

The mentos have a very bumpy surface that provides a place for bubbles of carbon dioxide to come out of solution. It does so rapidly, generating a mass of bubbles which stay around long enough to form a foam that geysers out of the bottle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_Coke_and_Mentos_eruption

Grades taught
Gr K
Gr 1
Gr 3
Gr 4
Gr 5