As it sinks, the Mentos produces more bubbles, which react with carbon dioxide in the soda, rewarding you with a Diet Coke geyser. Speed also matters, and the faster the Mentos sinks, the larger the eruption. Mentos are dense candies, which aids the sinking process — a factor the study explored by comparing reactions made with whole Mentos 19K views 1 year ago. Have you ever wondered why a Mento can make a soda to explode? The VERIFY team is here to help with this short explainer about the science behind the fizz. The premise is that the Mentos will become exposed as the ice cube melts. When the wax coating of the candy reacts with the diet soda, the drink will fizz and bubble like the classic Mentos and diet soda fountain. If you're doing the project on-purpose or else don't mind getting caught dropping a Mentos into someone's carbonated drink, you can Mentos plus soda equals an explosive experiment we had to try. VERIFY viewer James asked whether dropping Mentos into any soda can cause an explosion, like it does with Diet Coke. Here's what we Mentos candies contain millions of cavities, roughly 1-3 μm in size, that remain unwetted when added to a soda. Because of this, the addition of Mentos candies to a carbonated beverage provides enormous numbers of pre-existing bubbles into which dissolved carbon dioxide can escape. What is in soda that may help create the eruption as shown in the video? During the Experiment What usually causes soda to erupt in this way? Why do you think the Mentos® are able to elicit a similar reaction? Many people assume that the geyser forms when a Mentos candy is dropped into a bottle of soda because of an acid/base reaction, just like when you mix baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and a vinegar solution (acetic acid in water) to create the ever-popular "volcano" science project. Mentos, the makers of Mentos Chewy Mints, explains on its website that soda and other fizzy drinks contain a certain amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that is dissolved in water in the form of tiny bubbles or carbonation. During the Experiment What usually causes soda to erupt in this way? Why do you think the Mentos® are able to elicit a similar reaction? Is the evidence and data you are collecting helping you test your question? If you are modifying variables, ask students what the differences are in the reactions between the modification of variables. The crushed Mentos candy should sink slower than a whole Mentos candy. In this materials science project, you will see if using crushed Mentos candies instead of whole Mentos candies, which should sink faster in the soda, will change the height of the eruption. You will crush Mentos candies and then use them to make Diet Coke geysers. 4f2pR.