The guilford journal of chemistry by ChemistryAdventure

The Guilford Journal of Chemistry Volume 6 2012-2013

Table of Contents: Three-dot Nozzle Causes an Eruption Averaging 32.7% Higher than Commonly-Used One-Dot Nozzle By: Allison B, Sammy C, and Ashley H………………………………….…. …4 An Increased Drop Height Causes Only 0.3 grams Less Soda to Leave the Bottle During a Diet Coke and Mentos Eruption; Evidence of Very little Change By: Rachel G. and Emily S………………………………………………………………………..8 Mentos Mashed Into a “Pancake” Erupt, on Average, 48% Lower than Regular Mentos By: Henry R. and John R……………………………………………………………………………….....12

Loud Low Pitch Sounds Produce a 21% Increase in Eruption Height When Mixing Minty Mentos With Regular Coca Cola By: Jack D. and Kyle E....……………………...…………….17 Sprite Zero Erupts 7% Higher than Diet Coke in Comparison to Four Sodas By: Lucila K. and Lindsay L……………………………………………………………………………………………..20

The Diet Coke and Mentos Eruption Using the Standard Geyser Tube Erupted 52.3% Higher than the Modified Nozzle By: Jackson I., Sonny C., Tim K………..……………………23 Minimizing the CO2 Lost During the Application of the Geyser Tube Increases the Pressure within the Bottle but Decreases the Height by 8.54% By: Kate V. and Sophie K…….27 Mentos Heated to 30º Celsius Cause an Eruption of Diet Pepsi 32.8% Higher Than Mentos at 25º Celsius. By: Cole H., Sean H., and Logan F………………………………………………...31 Amount of Carbonation Matters - Height of Eruption Decreases 80% When Diet Coke Bottles Opened 48 Hours Prior to Eruption By: Jaimie C and Becca W………………………..38 Coated Fruit Mentos Produce an Eruption Height 35.9% Greater than Those with Removed Coating Report by: Joe I. Tested by: Isaac A. Chris C. and Joe I……………………..42 Crushed Mentos Create an Eruption that is, on average, 44 cm Less than Full Mentos By: Laurel Z. and Ashley I. ..……………………………………………………………………48 The Effect of Different Diet Soda Brands on the Height of Mentos Eruptions By: Mackenzie C. Natalia P. Amanda P……………………………………………………………...50 Whole Mentos Have a 15% Increase of Eruption Height Compared to Mentos that Were Broken into Halves and Quarters By: Morgan D. and Sami C………………………………….55 The Larger Tube Angle, 360˚, produces a 65% Decrease in the Height of the Mint Mentos Eruption in Comparison to a 0˚ Tube Angle By Sydney S. and Krissa C…………...….59

The Effect of Putting 5,7,9, and 11 Mentos to Change the Height the Soda Erupts to 92 Bricks By: T.J. W, Luke N…………………………………………………………………..…..63 Mint- Fruit Combinations Can Erupt 8% Higher than Mint or Fruit Alone in a Mentos Eruption By Grace C. and Madisen P……………………………………………………………66 Various Holes and Designs Placed On Tape Can Significantly Affect Mentos Eruption By Kathryn B. and Katie E………………………………………………………………………70

Three-dot Nozzle Causes an Eruption Averaging 32.7% Higher than Commonly-Used One-Dot Nozzle By: Allison B, Sammy C, and Ashley H.

Summary: The “Coke and Mentos Experiment” is an experiment to find out what happens when Mentos are dropped into a bottle of Coke, or another carbonated drink. The result of the experiment is a reaction in which the soda explodes through the top of the bottle. The results can be different according to your independent variable. By putting Mentos through the neck of the bottle, it causes a reaction between the carbon dioxide in the soda and the coating of the Mentos. In the experiment, it was proven that the smaller the nozzle shape is, the higher the eruption went. This is due to the fact that the smaller hole creates more pressure for the soda to fit through. It was found that the lowest eruption height was the control trial with no nozzle that only reached an average height of 10.5 bricks. The second lowest reaction was the cross cutout which had an average height of 42.5 bricks. The next lowest reaction heights were the one dot nozzle and the line nozzle which had an exact same average of 53.5 bricks high. The highest eruption height was the three dot nozzle which had an average eruption height of 71 bricks. The three dot nozzle went an average of 576.2% higher than an eruption with no nozzle, 67.1% higher than the cross nozzle, and 32.7% higher than the line and one dot nozzles. Introduction: The “Coke and Mentos” phenomenon was first introduced in the 1990’s when David Letterman had it on his show in 1999. The experiment has also shown up on television shows such as Mythbusters and Time-Warp and has become a challenge on YouTube. Many variables have been tested to try to beat the world record of an eruption height of 26ft. We believed that changing the nozzle on the geyser tube would affect the height of the eruption. In the eruption done by GHS students Gabriella Necklas and Kierstan Wall, they found that a round, smaller hole produced the highest eruption.1 Our prediction was that the smallest dot nozzle would have the highest height, because the pressure of the soda would be greater going through the smaller hole. This was proven correct; it went an average height of 71 bricks. In a previous experiment testing the effect of nozzles with different diameters, it was found that the nozzle with the smallest diameter had the highest reaction. This was the reaction done by Aaron Davis and Travis Dillon, in which they found that the smallest hole produced the highest height.2

Experimental Section: Materials:         

Fifteen 12.9 oz. bottles of Diet coke 8 packages of fruity Mentos 1 geyser tube Four different shaped nozzles Masking tape Trash Bags Pencils and paper Goggles A tilted, flat surface against a brick wall

Procedure: 1. Get all materials needed for the experiment 2. Place masking tape on the wall as markers of every ten bricks, as high as you can reach 3. Put all six Mentos inside geyser tube and make sure that the needle is inserted in the bottom of the tube so they don’t fall out 4. Screw on whichever nozzle (or lack thereof) is being tested 5. Unscrew diet coke cap and place the soda on the platform at an angle that will cause the eruption to barely hit the wall 6. Screw on geyser tube on top of the diet coke bottle 7. Have one person holding the bottle with another person pulls the pin/needle out of the tube 8. Record the height of eruption by seeing where the eruption stained the wall and counting the number of bricks 9. Repeat steps 3-8 for each nozzle trial or control

Average Percent Higher than Each Nozzle Nozzle Shape Average Percent higher than control Average Percent higher than cross nozzle Average Percent higher than 3 dot nozzle Average Percent higher than line nozzle Average Percent higher than one dot nozzle

Control

Cross Nozzle

3 Dot Nozzle

Line Nozzle

One Dot Nozzle

304.8%

576.2%

409.5%

-75.3%

67.1%

25.9%

-85.2%

-40.1%

-24.6%

-80.4%

-20.6%

32.7%

-80.4%

-20.6%

32.7%

Conclusion: In conclusion, we found that the 3 dot nozzle created the highest eruption overall. We did three trials for each nozzle, which causes less error; however, more trials could have been done to further eliminate error. Different errors that could have caused the results to be skewed were that although we always used fruity Mentos, we used strawberry for some trials and apple for others. Also, the time it took to put the geyser tube on the soda was not always the same, possibly causing more or less carbonation to be lost, which affects the height of the eruption.6 Our results were consistent with the results in past experiments,1,2,4,5,6 that the smaller the nozzle is, the higher the eruption will go. This supports the accuracy of our data, and shows that although there could have been minor errors, our results are still reliable. Different shapes and diameter nozzles have been tested over the years, and we believe that the three dot nozzle is the ideal nozzle, because it has round, small holes that cause the greatest pressure and therefore the greatest height. References: 1. Gabriella Necklas and Kierstan Wall. The Guilford Journal of Chemistry. Volume 1, pages 23-25 (2008) 2. Aaron Davis and Travis Dillon. The Guilford Journal of Chemistry. Volume 1, pages 1213 (2008) 3. Olivia S. and Bronwyn R. The Guilford Journal of Chemistry. Volume 5, pages 51-53 (2012) 4. Taylor S. and Rosie S. The Guilford Journal of Chemistry. Volume 1, pages 14-15 (2008) 5. Evan H. and Michel I. The Guilford Journal of Chemistry. Volume 5, pages 15-17 (2012) 6. Shane G. and Clara P. The Guilford Journal of Chemistry. Volume 5, pages 26-29(2012)

An Increased Drop Height Causes Only .3 grams Less Soda to Leave the Bottle During a Diet Coke and Mentos Eruption; Evidence of Very little Change

By Rachel G. and Emily S.

Summary: In this experiment, the combination of Mentos and diet coke to create an eruption was tested with 2 different drop heights. One was tested with a drop height of 0 cm (the control), and another tested at a drop height of 68 cm. This was to affect the different rates of the Mentos dropping into the soda, and in the end, the results provided .3 more grams of soda lost from the control than the height. This miniscule number showed that the drop height did not change the results of the eruption in any significant way.

Introduction: The famous Diet Coke and Mentos experiment is executed by opening a bottle of Diet Coke and dropping in newly-opened Mentos, causing the soda to spray up and out of the bottle. Depending on differing variables, the eruption heights can be either a few inches or a few feet tall.1 This experiment is most commonly used in classroom settings, from an elementary level all the way to college, and it has been tested on the popular show Mythbusters in an episode from 2006.2 The effect is caused by gum arabic and gelatin in the Mentos reacting with the caffeine, potassium bensoate, and aspartame in the Diet Coke. 3 In our own version of the reaction, we experimented whether the drop height of the Mentos affects the amount of soda left in the bottle. Last year, a similar test was done, but the students instead measured the height of the eruption. They discovered that the higher the Mentos was dropped, the higher the eruption. 4 They reasoned that this effect was caused by the increased velocity of the Mentos as they are dropped from a high height.5

Experimental: 1. Gather 6 small bottles of Diet Coke, at least 2 packs of mint Mentos, a tube at least 3 centimeters wide and 68 inches long, a scale, and some kind of platform. 2. Place a bottle of soda on the platform, outside preferably and prepare by getting one Mento out and putting on safety goggles. 3. Screw the cap off the soda and as quickly as possible drop the Mento into the soda. 4. Allow the soda to fizz completely and then set the soda aside, carefully noting that the soda had no drop height. 5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 twice. 6. Place the soda on the platform, preparing now with a Mento and the tube. 7. Screw the cap off the soda. As quickly as possible, place the tube over the open top and drop the Mento into the soda through the tube. 8. Pull the tube away from the soda as quickly as possible so as not to interrupt the eruption. 9. Allow the soda to fizz completely. Then, mark it clearly as a soda with drop height. 10. Repeat steps 6 through 9 twice. 11. Wait until all the sodas are finished fizzing. Then, weigh each soda on the scale and record each measurement in a data table in grams. 12. To find the exact weight of only soda that left the bottle, weigh a full bottle of the same type and subtract the remaining soda values for exact data. 13. Find the averages of the trials.

Results: Amount of Soda Lost (g) control (0 ft)

height (68 ft)

Trial 1

186.9

188.8

Trial 2

196.8

201.2

Trial 3

197.9

190.7

Average

193.9

193.6

Amount of Soda Lost by Eruption 205

200

grams

195

control (0 ft)

190

height (68 ft) 185

180

175 Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 3

Average

Conclusion: When the Mentos dropped into the diet coke at 0 cm, and then at 68 cm, a distinct difference was not detected. Unlike most experiments measuring the height of the eruption, this experiment couldn’t use geyser tubs, and therefore the amount of soda lost was measured to produce numerical data. Tested with 3 trials for accuracy, when the trials were averaged, the difference between the soda lost with a Mento dropping from 0 cm and from 68 cm was less than 1 gram of a difference, which could have been due to other circumstances such as the amount of time the bottle was opened for. The control lost 193.9 g of soda, and the height lost 193.6 g of soda. Perhaps 68 cm wasn’t enough of a height to affect the rate of the Mento for differing results, but a clear conclusion can be made from this experiment. A different drop height did not change anything about the eruptions, which differs from the results of the group who tested this last year. 4 The reason for there being only one changed height is that another experiment based on drop height was primarily worked on, but didn’t succeed. In the ideal experiment, Mentos would be dropped through a long and clear plastic tube fitting exactly around each bottle. Then with meter sticks attached to the tube, the height that the coke reaches inside of the plastic tube would be recorded. A string would allow the Mentos to drop from different points in the tube. For further experimentation, more advanced mechanical endeavors would need to be accomplished in order for this experiment to succeed. When tried, the coke leaked out of the bottom, and the only clear tubes were bendy plastic and didn’t drop the Mento fully. So instead, a quick compromise was done with an hard opaque plastic tube to at least receive some results on this topic. The idea of the procedure was interesting, but nearly impossible to make in the classroom time provided. Some error may also have occurred, such as some Mentos hitting the rim of the bottle or the differing times between opening and erupting. However, this is a fascinating experiment and should definitely be experimented further.

Endnotes: Tonya Shea Coffey, “Diet Coke and Mentos: What is really behind this physical reaction?” Am. J. Phys. 551, 76 (2008). 1

ibid, p. 551.

“The Effect of Drop Height on the Height of the Mentos Eruption,” Guilford Journal of Chemistry. 8485 (2011). 4

ibid, p.84.

Mentos Mashed Into a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pancakeâ&#x20AC;? Erupt, on Average, 48% Lower than Regular Mentos By Henry R. and John R. Summary A Mentos and Coke eruption, a popular subject of YouTube videos, occurs when Mentos are dropped into a fresh bottle of Coke. Once they are dropped in, a fountain of sweet, sticky, and bubbly spray shoots out of the bottle, reaching great heights (the world record is 29.2 feet). In our experiment, we took Fruit Mentos and prepared them to be dropped into 12-oz. bottles of Diet Coke. We either put them into the Coke without modifying them or mashed them together between two wooden blocks before rolling them up and putting them into the geyser tube. While we were expecting the mashed Mentos to cause a higher eruption (because of their increased surface area), the regular Mentos achieved almost double the height of the mashed ones: regular Mentos caused an eruption of, on average, 165.67 centimeters in height, whereas the mashed Mentos created an average eruption height of only 86.67 centimeters, or about 48% lower (it should be noted that we also attempted this with Mint Mentos, but we were unable to use the same type of soda throughout the experiment, which makes that data very questionable).

Introduction In an article published by Tonya Shea Coffey of Appalachian State University, she cited one of the causes of the Coke and Mentos eruption as surface roughness: the rough surface of the Mentos provides more growth sites for carbon dioxide bubbles in the soda, and thus a huge release of gas that causes the soda to shoot out of the bottle.1 There were also other experiments, published in The Guilford Journal of Chemistry, that had to do with the topic we chose. In an experiment by Nick Hill and Kyle Gaboury, they found that Mentos with a hole drilled into them produced an eruption of 120 cm, higher than powdered Mentos, Mentos with the coatings removed, and regular Mentos.2 In another experiment, it was found that by cutting the Mentos in half, one could achieve an eruption 33 cm higher than an eruption from regular Mentos, and 23 cm higher than an eruption from crushed Mentos.3 In an experiment published by Diana C. and Sarah G., it was found that solid Mentos erupted 5.4 times higher than crushed Mentos.4 Also, in an experiment published by Alicia R., Sarah R., and Casey S., they found that regular Mentos erupted higher than Mentos cut in halves, quarters, or crushed.5 An experiment by Rachel C. and Rachel M. found that changing the shape of the Mentos by melting them and rolling them up resulted in an eruption 39 cm lower than normal Mentos.6 Also, an experiment performed by Grace I. and Amanda M. found that scratching sides of Mentos increases eruption height greatly.7 There was a lot of conflicting data on this type of experiment already, with some experiments showing that increasing surface area created a higher eruption, and with other experiments showing that increasing surface area created a lower eruption, so we were not sure what to think.

Experimental

1. Obtain a few rolls of Fruit Mentos and some 12-oz. bottles of Diet Coke. 2. Take three Fruit Mentos and mash them into a thin pancake between two small wooden blocks or whatever else will do the job (the back of a large spoon and a countertop?...)â&#x20AC;&#x201D;we have found that mashing them together one at a time makes the thinnest and most malleable pancake. 3. Roll that pancake around a pencil so that it will fit into and fall through a geyser tube (easily available from your science teacher or scientific websites). 4. Repeat steps 2-3 two more times. 5. Obtain 9 more Fruit Mentos but do not mash them. 6. Go outside to a wall, preferably a brick one (if a brick wall cannot be found, bring a measuring tape or meter stick). Make sure that you are wearing safety goggles. 7. Open the top of the geyser tube and drop in one of the pancakes. Screw the top back on. Make sure that the pin stopping the pancake from falling through is in place. 8. Open a full, fresh bottle of your Diet Coke, place it on a level plane at the bottom of the wall and (quickly!) screw on the geyser tube. 9. Pull out the pin and measure the height of the Diet Coke spray in centimeters (1 brick=7cm). If the pancake does not fall completely into the bottle, you can push it in with a pencil. 10. Repeat steps 7-9 two more times (try to use new geyser tubes each time to prevent stickiness). 11. Repeat steps 7-10, but this time use three of the unmashed Fruit Mentos in place of each pancake.

Results Paragraph In our first trial set, regular Mentos produced an eruption with a height of 147 cm, while the mashed Mentos created an eruption of 91 cm in height. In the second set, the regular Mentos created an eruption of 154 cm in height, while the mashed Mentos, which failed to go into the bottle on their own and had to be pushed in with a pencil, created an eruption of 84 cm in height. In the third set, the regular Mentos created an eruption of 196 cm in height, while the mashed Mentos, which again had to be pushed, created an eruption with a height of 91 cm. This averages out to about 165.67 cm in eruption height for regular Mentos and 86.67 cm in eruption height for mashed Mentos. Data Table

Regular (Unmashed) 147 cm 154 cm 196 cm 165.67 cm

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Avg.

Mashed 91 cm 84 cm* 91 cm* 86.67 cm

*Mashed Mentos had to be pushed into bottle

Graph

Mashed Mentos Create a Much Lower Eruption than Regular Mentos 165.67 180 86.67 Series1

(

A v e r a g e

160H 140e 120 S i 100 p g 80 r h 60 a t 40 y 20 0c m )

Regular

Mashed Quality of Mentos

Conclusion In our experiment, we found that Mentos that were mashed into a pancake erupted significantly lower than regular Mentos—by almost 50%. This seemed to somewhat confirm the findings of Rachel C. and Rachel M.6, Alicia R., Sarah R. and Casey S.5, and Diana C. and Sarah G.4, in that they all demonstrated that unmodified Mentos produce a higher eruption than Mentos that have been modified in some way. However, the other experiments (those done by Grace I. and Amanda M.7, Emily’s Ring and Kipness3, and Nick Hill and Kyle Gaboury2), which all demonstrated that modifying the surface areas of the Mentos correctly would produce a higher eruption, seemed to be contradicted by our data. However, when one looks at our methods more closely, one can see where we might have gone wrong. We assumed that, by mashing the Mentos, we would be increasing their surface area and creating a higher eruption. In the process of mashing, however, we may have actually decreased the surface roughness of the Mentos by flattening the small growth sites of the carbon dioxide that were described as one of the main causes of the eruption by Tonya Coffey in her paper1. There were also some smaller errors that included not precisely measuring the spray (we just counted by bricks), slightly different heights against the wall at which the soda bottles rested, having to push in two of the three Mentos pancakes with a pencil because they didn’t fall into the bottle, and some of the bottles of soda fizzing over when we opened them, which may have caused some loss of carbon dioxide. However, these small errors are not enough to have significantly altered our data (one of the pushed-in pancakes created a spray just as high as one that fell in naturally), and we stand by our data as sound. There could be some interesting follow-up experiments to this one, though. Since Mentos have a chewy interior (which allowed them to be molded into a pancake) surrounded by a crunchy exterior, one could try scraping off the exterior coating and putting that coating in the soda instead. One could try mashing the pancake and then leaving it to dry, as well; it would be interesting to see what would happen to that malleable interior. Would it form a rough surface of its own? One could modify the heat at which it was dried, the length of time for which it was dried, maybe even put it in the freezer. It would be an interesting experiment.

Endnotes 1

Tonya Shea Coffey. “Diet Coke and Mentos: What is Really Behind This Physical Reaction?” American Journal of Physics. Vol. 76, No. 6: 551-7 (2008). 2 Nick Hill and Kyle Gaboury. “Drilling a 5 mm Hole in a Mentos Candy Results in a 20% Increase in Erupton Height.” The Guilford Journal of Chemistry. Vol. 2: 38 (2008). 3 Emily’s Ring and Kipness. “Mentos Sliced in Half Will Double the Height of a Mentos Eruption.” The Guilford Journal of Chemistry. Vol. 2: 38 (2008). 4 Diana C. and Sarah G. “Solid Mentos Create Eruptions 5 Times Higher Compared to Crushed Mentos.” The Guilford Journal of Chemistry. Vol. 4: 15-9 (2010). 5 Alicia R., Sarah R., and Casey S. “Increasing Surface Area of Mentos Generally Causes Eruption Height to Decrease.” The Guilford Journal of Chemistry. Vol. 4: 20-4 (2010). 6 Rachel C. and Rachel M. “The Height of the Reaction Between Mentos and Diet Coke Decreases When the Shape of the Mento is Changed.” The Guilford Journal of Chemistry. Vol. 4: 25-9 (2010).

Grace I. and Amanda M. “High Surface Area Increases a Coke Mentos Eruption Height.” The Guilford Journal of Chemistry. Vol. 5: 48-50 (2011).

Loud Low Pitch Sounds Produce a 21% Increase in Eruption Height When Mixing Minty Mentos With Regular Coca Cola By: Jack D. and Kyle E. Summary: In our experiment, we used and electric guitar to play two different notes and two different volumes to see how eruption height of Mentos and Coke would change. Our control was a regular explosion, not affected by any noises, and compared it to different volumes and pitches. We found that when playing a loud noise with a low pitch, the explosion went 21% higher than the control and reached an average height of 182 centimeters. Our control reached and average height of 151 centimeters and was tied for second highest explosion with a loud high pitch sound. The quiet sounds we found to go roughly 20% lower than the control, with low pitch sound reaching an average of 123 centimeters and high pitch sounds reaching an average of 116 centimeters. Introduction: The mentos eruption is based off of thermodynamics, surface science, and the physics of explosions. There are two main ingredients that make the reaction work, potassium benzoate and aspartame. When the two mix, carbon dioxide quickly tries to get out of the bottle. Also, the surface area of the mentos affects the explosion, the more surface area, the more violent the reaction.i The roughness of the surface allows carbon dioxide bubbles to then form faster and create and larger explosion.ii Experimental Section: 1. Determine the amount of standard1 liter coke bottles required 2. For every bottle needed, get 3 minty mentos 3. Locate an electric guitar with an amplifier (Extension cord and trash bag recommended) 4. Place bottle of soda on ground near a tall wall. 5. Place amplifier roughly 1 foot away from bottle 6. Insert minty mentos in the geysers tube and make sure tube is prepared 7. Uncap the bottle and insert tube 8. Wait 5 seconds then play the desired note and volume for 3 seconds 9. Pull pin after note is playing for 1 second 10. Record height of soda base on where it hit the wall 11. Repeat steps 6-10 for all desired trials 12. Repeats steps 6-11 for all volumes and pitches

Results:

After experimentation, the data collected had certain distinguishable patterns. Most noticeable were the averages of the loud volume tests compared to the control and the low volume tests. The control average was 150.5 cm, as well as the loud volume/high note test average. The loud volume/low note test was significantly higher at 182 cm. Meanwhile, the soft volume/low note test only averaged at 122.5 cm, and the soft volume/high note test had an average of even less, only reaching 115.5 cm. Reviewing the data, one could say that the volume of the sound could be impacting the height of the Mentos. There is not enough reliable data to assume that the pitch of the note affected the height as well. However, the volume did seem to have a substantial effect on the height, as the first trial with the loud volume/low note test went 203 cm, while the first trial of the soft volume/low note was 133 cm. This 34% decrease shows a substantial change in height when the volume is altered. In addition, there was a 30% difference between the second trials of the low note tests as well. One can speculate that if more trials were carried out, the numbers would be in the same percentile.

Conclusion: After testing, there was shown that having a louder volume caused the Mentos to erupt higher. As far as this test was concerned, loud low pitch sounds created the largest

eruption. For future experiments, one variable should be tested at a time with greater precision and focus on that one variable, with the other variable being held a constant. Furthermore, the accuracy of the data in the recently performed experiment could be improved if more trials were run, but due to long setup and clean-up, as well as time restrictions, only two trials were able to be performed. It is believed that the increased power of the sound waves hitting the soda created vibrations in the soda, altering the conditions into which the Mentos were dropped. A fluidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s density, temperature, and pressure can change when sound vibrates that certain liquid.iii Any of these could have an effect on the height of the Mentos eruption. Temperature has clearly been shown before to have an effect on eruption height. An earlier test showed that warmer soda temperatures have resulted in higher eruptions.iv Furthermore, there are other studies proving that the pressure of the soda affects the height as well, proving less pressure inside lessens soda height. Any one of these variables could be looked into with more detail in more specific experiments in the future.v

Endnotes: i

Dr. T.S. Coffey. Diet Coke and Mentos: What is Really Behind this Physical Reaction? pg. 544

Steven D. Spangler. Apparatus and Method for a Solid Catalyst and Fluid Dynamic Eruption Reaction. pg. 3 iii

A.B. Bhatia. Ultrasonic Absorption: An Introduction to the Theory of Sound Absorption and Dispersion in Gases, Liquids, and Solids. pg. 8 iv

Justin H. The Guilford Journal of Chemistry. Volume 1, pg.

Olivia S. Bronwyn R. The Guilford Journal of Chemistry. Volume 5, pgs, 51-53

Sprite Zero Erupts 7% Higher than Diet Coke in Comparison to Four Sodas By: Lucila K. and Lindsay L. Summary: When Mentos are added to carbonated beverages, the reaction is foam that rises at a high rate. It has been found that the potassium benzoate, aspartame and CO2 gas in carbonated beverages, when combined with the gelatin and gum Arabic in the Mentos, cause the reaction of the foam. 1 After testing four different kinds of soda to see which had the highest eruption, Sprite Zero had the highest eruption (224.2 cm) out of Diet Coke (210 cm), Coke (117.6 cm), and Sprite (117.6). This experiment was conducted to see which soda brand would erupt the highest when five Mentos were added to it. The results confirmed the data that Shore and Brown came up with. This study is a result of five averaged trials. Introduction: The Diet Coke and Mentos experiment has been tested many times before, and recently people have started to test the explosion height by testing different brands of soda. We found some of the same experiments previously done in The Guilford Journal of Chemistry. In one experiment conducted by Shore and Brown, they happened to use the same four sodas as we did. They found that Sprite Zero had the highest eruption, followed by Diet Coke, Sprite and Coke. 2 In an experiment done by, Lauren Cutuli, she found that Diet Tonic Water had the highest eruption, followed by Diet Coke, Diet Dr. Pepper, and Sprite Zero. 3 Musterer and Ruotolo, tested Fresca, Diet coke, Sprite Zero and Diet Pepsi and found that Diet Pepsi had the highest eruption, then Sprite Zero, Diet Coke, and then Fresca. 4 Also in an experiment done by Bruno E. and Asa D., they found that out of Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, Sprite Zero, and Diet Canada Dry, Diet Pepsi had the highest eruption, followed by Diet Coke, and then Sprite Zero. They did not include Canada Dry in their results due to experimental error. 5

Experimental: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Collect 5, 12oz bottles of Sprite Zero, Diet coke, Sprite, Coke. Collect 12 packs of mint Mentos Collect one geyser tube Load geyser tube with five Mentos (Make sure pin is lodged and secure) Grab one bottle of Sprite Zero, open, and quickly screw geyser tube onto bottle nozzle. Place the bottle against a wall outside in an open space where the eruption can be measured Measure the mark that the explosion left on the wall and record in centimeters its height. Repeat steps 4-7 four more times Repeat steps 4-8 for the Diet Coke, Coke and Sprite Make a table/graph of the data and compare

Results:

After averaging the five trials, Sprite Zero had the highest eruption with 224.2 cm, while Diet Coke had the second highest eruption with 210cm and Coke and Sprite tied at last with an eruption of 117.6cm. Sprite Zero erupted 7% higher than Diet Coke, and 90% higher than Coke and Sprite.

250

The Effect of Different Soda Brands on Eruption Height

Height (cm)

200 150 100 50 0 Coke

Diet Coke

Sprite Zero

Sprite

Soda Type

Trials Soda Brand Sprite Zero Diet Coke Coke Sprite

Averages

5 245cm 210cm 77cm 105cm

203cm 210cm 133cm 112cm

203cm 210cm 133cm 140cm

230cm 203cm 105cm 119cm

240cm 217cm 140cm 112cm

224.2cm 210cm 117.6cm 117.6cm

Conclusion: Each kind of soda went through 5 trials to come up with these results. The bottles were all the same size, 12oz, and the same amount of Mentos was added to each bottle, five. Our results showed that Sprite Zero had the highest eruption of 224.2 cm. Next came the Diet Coke with 210cm, and finally, Sprite and Coke had the same average of 117.6cm. Our experiment complimented the Shore and Brown study in saying that the order of explosion height from highest to lowest was Sprite Zero, Diet Coke, Coke and Sprite. Unlike their experiment, however, we found that Sprite and Coke had the same average where as they found that Coke had a higher average than Sprite. Also, our experiment involved more trials. We had 5 trials per soda brand, where as they had 2 trials. By doing more trials, the validity of the

experiment increases. The other experiment showed a significant different between their two trials. This difference may be because there was an error in one of the trials. We may have gotten these results because of the ingredients in the sodas. For example, the two highest beverages were both low sugar drinks. Our data proved that Diet Coke is not the only soda that is able to produce a reaction when combined with Mentos. Our data also proved that Diet coke does not create the highest explosion when compared to Sprite Zero, which does produce the highest reaction. End Notes: 1. Dr. Brielmann. The Guilford Journal of Chemistry. Volume 1, pages 4-5 (2008). 2. Ethan Shore and Zack Brown. The Effect of Soda Type on the Height of Mentos Eruptions. The Guilford Journal of Chemistry. Volume 1, pages 4-5 (2008). 3. Lauren Cutuli. The Effect of Diet Drinks on the Height of a Mentos Eruption. The Guilford Journal of Chemistry. Volume 2, pages 36-37. (2009) 4. Musterer and Ruotolo. Diet Pepsi- Not Diet Coke- Results in the Highest Mentos Eruption When Compared to Other Diet Carbonated Drinks. The Guilford Journal of Chemistry. Volume 2, pages 12-14 (2009). 5. Bruno E. and Asa D. The Brand and Type of Diet Soda has a Direct Effect on the Average Eruption Height during Mentos Eruptions. The Guilford Journal of Chemistry. Volume 4, pages 61-64 (2011).

The Diet Coke and Mentos Eruption Using the Standard Geyser Tube Erupted 52.3% Higher than the Modified Nozzle Jackson I., Sonny C., Tim K.

Summary The purpose of the experiment was to decide whether a 1 liter Diet Coke bottle with or without a nozzle would make a larger eruption when paired with mentos. In an earlier experiment by Erin S. and Ashley B., three different nozzle sizes were used (small, large, medium). The medium sized nozzle ended up being optimum for height[i]. In an even earlier experiment by Gabriella Necklas and Kiersten Wall, it was concluded that to make the largest eruption, a smaller hole was needed[ii]. This absolutely contradicts the results of our experiment. During the trials conducted, it was found that the bottle with the nozzle that actually had a smaller opening than the bottle without a nozzle made a smaller eruption. In fact, the eruption from the bottle without the nozzle was, on average, 52.3% higher. Why the results between both experiments are so different is unknown.

Introduction The mentos eruption has been an experiment done a large amount of times. It is a reaction between carbonated beverage and mentos that causes the beverage to spray out of the container. Experiments in a 2006 edition episode of the television show Mythbusters suggested the chemicals responsible for the reaction are gum arabic and gelatine in the sweets, and caffeine, potassium benzoate and aspartame in the Coke. All of these ingredients help contribute to the eruption1. But there have been no rigorous scientific studies of the reaction until now. Experiments have been conducted using caffeinefree diet coke, which ended up showing no difference in the height, which suggested that the caffeine did not affect the eruption. "Water molecules like to be next to other water molecules, so basically anything that you drop into the soda that disrupts the network of water molecules can act as a growth site for bubbles," Coffey told New Scientist. "And if you have rough candy with a high ratio of surface area to volume, then there's more places for the bubbles to go. This was one idea of what made this exciting eruption from these two substances2. A paper by Tonya Coffey, a physicist at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina goes into detail on the reasons and physics behind the reaction. Coffey found that the rough surface of the mentos helps speed up the reaction. Coffey also found that the

"Mythbusters: Diet Coke and Mentos". TV.com. Retrieved 2012-10-3.

American Journal of Physics, DOI: 10.1119/1.2888546

aspartame in diet soda lowers the surface tension and causes a larger reaction, but that caffeine does not speed up the reaction3.

Experimental Section In order to achieve accurate results, the same procedure was followed for each trial. The steps are as follows: 1) Gather materials 2) Place platform near wall on slight angle 3) Place Coke bottle on platform 4) Take original geyser tube and fill, from the bottom, with 4 Mentos 5) Place pin to keep Mentos from falling out 6) Unscrew Coke bottle and begin timing 7) Attach tube to Coke, making sure to keep the pin in place 8) After a duration of 15 seconds from the opening of the bottle, release pin and continue to hold the bottle 9) Record data 10) Repeat steps 2-9 twice more with the new bottles of Coke 11) Repeat steps 2-9 three more times using the alternate nozzle

Results With all of the research and experimentation conducted, the results that were gathered were very informative. (You may refer to the graphs on the final page for a visual of the information.) With each set of bottles - the three without the nozzle and the three with - three trials were run. In the Coke bottles with the standard geyser, all of the runs went very smoothly. All of the results were similar. The first bottleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eruption went 616 cm, the second went 630 cm, and the third went 588 cm. On average, the height of the geyser went 611.3 cm. The height of the nozzled geysers was significantly less. On average, their height was 319.7 cm. Bottle one went 273 cm, number two went 266 cm, but bottle three 3

Coffey, Tonya Shea (June 2008). "Diet Coke and Mentos: What is really behind this physical reaction?". American Journal of Physics 76 (6): 551â&#x20AC;&#x201C;557. doi:10.1119/1.2888546

went 420 cm. One of the faults of the nozzle was that the pressure was so great, that the tip actually came off, or the soda shot out the sides rather than the top, or a combination of both. In both bottle one and two, there was some technical difficulty. For both of the first two trials, there was difficulty with the tube. In the first, the tube itself was not attached to the Coke correctly. In the second, the glue tip detached itself. If the experiment was to be repeated, it would be made sure that the tip was securely attached to the tube.

Conclusion In our experiment, it was concluded that the 1 liter bottle of Diet Coke without a nozzle made a significantly larger eruption than the 1 liter bottle of Diet Coke with a nozzle. However, the results may have looked this way partly because of the Diet Coke spurting through the sides of the nozzle during all three trials. During the first trial, the Diet coke without the nozzle erupted 616 centimeters (88 bricks). The bottle with the nozzle on it erupted 273 centimeters (39 bricks). This shows that the bottle without the nozzle erupted 44.3% higher than the bottle with the nozzle on. In the second trial, the bottle without the nozzle erupted 630 centimeters (90 bricks). The bottle with the nozzle on it erupted 266 centimeters (38 bricks). This means that the bottle without the nozzle erupted 42.2% higher than the bottle with the nozzle on it. In the third and final trial, the bottle without the nozzle erupted 588 centimeters (84 bricks). The Diet Coke bottle with the nozzle erupted 420 centimeters (60 bricks). This means that the bottle without the nozzle on it erupted 71.4% higher than the bottle with the nozzle on it. Averaging all the numbers together, the bottle without the nozzle erupted 52.3% higher than the bottle with the nozzle on it. Keep in mind that the number of mentos placed in each bottle was kept constant to assure that the results were valid. Of course, on closer inspection, there were probably things that could have been done and should have done differently in the experiment. For example, if the experiment were to be done again, the nozzle on the Diet coke bottle would be more securely tightened so that soda would not end up all squirting out of the sides rather than the top. It was also observed that from the time that the cap was taken off of the bottle to the time that the mentos were actually dropped into the soda lasted several seconds. If the experiment were to be repeated again, it might be beneficial to shorten the time frame of this so as to reduce the amount of carbonation lost from the Diet Coke. All in all, it was determined that the Coke bottle with the original tube was much more proactive in the height of the geyser compared to the modified nozzle.

Endnotes: [i]Erin S and Ashley B, Guilford Journal of Chemistry Volume 4 (2010-2011) [ii]Gabriella Necklas and Kiersten Wall, Guilford Journal of Chemistry Volume 1 (2007-2008)

Minimizing the CO2 Lost During the Application of the Geyser Tube Increases the Pressure within the Bottle but Decreases the Height by 8.54% By: Kate V. and Sophie K. Summary Mentos and Diet Coke are a scientific match made in heaven; when these minty treats are dropped into diet soda, it causes an eruption into the air. Many different experiments have covered almost every aspect of this eruption and the concept has been toyed with for years.1 Our particular experiment explores the idea that if the amount of CO2 lost during the application of the geyser tube, a device used to drop Mentos into soda bottles through the pull of a pin, was decreased, the height would increase. This experiment was inspired by a previous one, which focused on delaying the time between the opening of the bottle and the drop of the Mentos. We attempted to engineer a system that would allow the Mentos to enter the bottle without releasing any CO2 from the bottle and were forced to overcome several obstacles. In the end, a system that included rubber gloves, duct tape and a rubber disc was shaped. We used the rubber glove and duct tape to contain the CO2 that was released at the opening of the cap, and were able to create a substitute cap. In addition to the bottle, the geyser tube was air tight due to a piece of duct tape covering its nozzle. Therefore, we were able to drop the Mentos into the bottle with limited CO2 escaping. In our control, we opened the bottle and screwed on the geyser tube at a normal pace allowing a fair amount of CO2 to escape. The maximum height achieved by this was 52 blocks (225.5 cm), the minimum was 35 blocks (192.5 cm), and the average for this was 42.33 blocks (232.815 cm). Contradictory to the initial intention of the experiment, the bottles with our rubber glove and disc system had a lower average height by 8.54%. The maximum height for this one was 49 blocks (269.5), the minimum was 35 blocks (192.5 cm), and the average was 39 blocks (214.5 cm).Although the experiment showed that the coke went a lower height, we did observe that because of the higher CO2 levels, the coke was much for pressurized. Introduction The diet soda and Mentos eruption has been a common household and classroom experiment for all ages since 1999, when it first premiered on the David Letterman Show.2 In recent years, people all over the world have enjoyed both participating in and watching this scientific phenomenon via an episode of Mythbusters, numerous videos on YouTube, and even Chemistry classes throughout the nation.3 In order to create an eruption, Mentos are dropped into a newly opened bottle of diet soda. There are five major ingredients that make Diet Coke and mint flavored Mentos ideal. Diet Coke contains caffeine, potassium benzoate, and aspartame; while Mentos contains gum arabic and gelatin.4 A major muse for our experiment was a previous report from last year, by Olivia Schultes and Bronwyn Reeves. They increased the time between the bottle opening and the dropping of the Mentos, and discovered that it decreased the height.5 Through this conclusion, we were able to assume that the opposite was true: that decreasing the amount of CO2 released would increase the height. We wanted concrete proof, and decided to test this theory.

Materials

1. Six diet coke (16oz) bottles 2. Four packs of mint Mentos 3. Three clear large rubber gloves 4. One roll of duct tape 5. One 2” rubber disc 6. One pair of scissors 7. One geyser tube Experimental Procedure 1. Set up an area near a wall on a surface that is at a 20 degree angle to the wall 2. Put on goggles 3. Put nine Mentos into the geyser tube 4. Put a 1” strip off duct tape over the hole of the geyser tube 5. Tie off each of the fingers in the gloves 6. Take out a settled coke bottle 7. Place the 2” rubber disc on top of the cap 8. Place the glove around the top of the diet coke 9. Seal off the glove with duct tape around the bottle 10. Unscrew the cap of the coke bottle through the glove 11. Push the cap to the side letting it sit on the edges of the glove 12. Have one partner hold down the 2” rubber disc as the other cuts the rubber glove around the 2” rubber disc 13. Remove the remainder of the rubber glove that was covering the 2” rubber disc 14. Continue to keep pressure on the rubber disc 15. Place the bottle on the angled surface 16. Have one partner hold the bottle and rubber disc covering the cap 17. Have the other partner place the geyser tube on top of the rubber disc 18. Quickly pull out the rubber disc then slide and screw the geyser tube onto the coke bottle 19. Have one partner pull off the duct tape covering the geyser tube 20. Pull the red string in the geyser tube and hold the bottle Results Although there was little consistency in the following results, it did show that the control had some heights that were much higher than those where variables were altered in the experiment. The collected data showed that the average for height reached was slightly less than in the control. On the other hand, a big difference between the control and experiments with the altered variable was the increased pressure in the altered experiment. However, we were unable to calculate that as a measurement. Control: Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 41 blocks (225.5 cm) 35 blocks (192.5cm) 52 blocks (286 cm) Average: 42.33 blocks (232.815 cm) Experiment: Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 33 blocks (181.5 cm) 35 blocks (192.5 cm) 49 blocks (269.5 cm) Average: 39 blocks (214.5 cm) Conclusion

Previously, an experiment tested the idea that the “amount of time between opening a bottle of Diet Coke and the Mentos release affects the size of the eruption” and proved that delaying the time between opening and actually dispensing the Mentos decreased the height of the eruption, but not by a significant amount.6 The data collected in this most recent experiment added on to the prior data, and reflected the other side of the spectrum. The past experiment’s data suggested that, since the CO2 released decreased the height, that decreasing the CO2 released would increase the height. However, contradictory to past figures, the height of the eruptions actually decreased through this new adjustment. It was discovered though, that the pressure at the time of the eruption, and the power that each eruption had. In one instance, even though the geyser tube was screwed on tight, and there was someone holding it in place, when the soda erupted, the geyser tube shot off the bottle and caused the eruption to hit two different places on the wall. While this experiment yielded interesting results, and was built upon a previous report, there are multiple suggested experiments that would be follow-ups, and improve the data collected. One possible improvement to the glove system created in this experiment would be to find a way to calculate the pressure, and record the specific increase. Another improvement would be to make sure that the eruptions hit the wall, but not prematurely. A possible flaw in the experiment that was just completed was that, while the eruptions should have gone higher, it is possible that they hit the wall in such a way that prevented the soda from continuing to climb. Finally, a third possible follow-up would be to simply focus on the time, instead of focusing on the CO2 released. If an experiment were to hone in on just decreasing time, the results may vary from this experiment, which aimed solely to change the amount of CO2 expelled. 1

Professor Tanya Shea Coffey, Diet Coke and Mentos; What is really behind this Physical Reaction?, Page 551 (2008). 2

Ibid, see paragraph 1

Ibid, see paragraph 2

Ibid, see paragraph 1

The Amount of Time Between Opening a Bottle of Diet Coke and the Mentos Release Affects the Size of the Eruption. Olivia Schultes and Bronwyn Reeves, The Guilford Journal of Chemistry, 2011-2012, pp. 51-53. 6

Ibid, see page 52

Mentos Heated to 30º Celsius Cause an Eruption of Diet Pepsi 32.8% Higher Than Mentos at 25º Celsius. Cole H., Sean H. and Logan F. I. SUMMARY The “mentos eruption” is an experiment in which mentos are placed in a carbonated beverage, usually diet coke or diet pepsi. An explosive explosion occurs, causing the beverage to shoot out of the bottle. This experiment sought to discover the effect of heating mint mentos on the height of a diet pepsi eruption. Although previous research has been completed in this field, much of the data is unreliable due to an insufficient number of trials. In general, however, previous researchers have found that heating mentos increases the height of the eruption. The data collected in this experiment showed that heating mentos to 30 C increased the height of a diet pepsi explosion by 32.8% compared to 25 C room temperature mentos. Four trials were completed for each temperature mentos, and the height of explosion in bricks, the time between the cap being opened and the geyser tube pin being removed, and the mass lost were all recorded. The height was first recorded in bricks, and then converted to centimeters, where 1 brick is equivalent to 7 centimeters. The average height reached by the room temperature mentos was 234.5 cm, while the heated mentos created an explosion reaching an average of 311.5 cm. The average mass lost by room temperature mentos was 313.85 grams, while it was 324.05 grams for the heated mentos. This is a change of 3.25%. The average time between the cap being removed on the soda and the mentos being released was 15.2 seconds for room temperature mentos and 14.9 seconds for heated mentos. Based on these results, it can be hypothesized that the height of the explosion is a linear function of the temperature of the mentos. II. INTRODUCTION The diet pepsi and mentos experiment is an experiment that is quickly growing in popularity amongst the science community.i First featured on television on the David Lettermen Show in 1999, the experiment was later conducted on the Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters in 2006.ii The diet pepsi and mentos lab is conducted by dropping several mentos into a freshly opened bottle of diet pepsi. It is essential to insert the mentos into the soda as soon as possible in order to maintain a high carbonation level and keep the soda from becoming flat. The dropping of the mentos results in a large, foamy eruption of soda. The reason for this is a reaction that occurs between the potassium benzoate, aspartame, and CO2 in the soda and the gum arabic and gelatin in the mentos.iii However, this is not a chemical reaction as one might assume; it is a

physical reaction for when the mentos enter the diet pepsi they are covered in bubbles which, in turn, displace the cola and shoot it out of the bottle.iv A rather interesting experiment has proven a common misconception incorrect. While diet coke and diet pepsi are oftentimes considered to be virtually synonymous, Musterer and Ruotolo proved with their experiment that eruptions with diet pepsi are more than two times taller than eruptions with diet coke.v A lab conducted by Rachel Cutler and Emma Smith directly correlates to the experiment conducted. They tested the effect of heating mentos on the height of the eruption. According to their results, increasing the temperature of the mentos from 300K to 313K resulted in, approximately, a 567% increase in eruption height.vi The general consensus remains that heating mentos will increase the height of a diet pepsi eruption; however this study presents solidified evidence through the use of more trials and a greater number of constants. III. EXPERIMENTAL 1. Obtain eight 250 mL Diet Pepsi bottles, a minimum of 44 mint mentos, safety goggles, and a geyser tube. 2. For room temperature mentos trials, record the temperature of two mentos by splitting them in half and inserting thermometer into filling. Record temperature and average the two. 3. Fill geyser tube with five mentos. 4. Position bottle on a slight angle facing a brick wall. 5. As soon as cap on soda is opened, start timer and screw on geyser tube. 6. At 15 seconds, pull the pin of the geyser tube and back away. 7. Record the number of bricks reached by the soda from the top of the tube. 8. In permanent marker, write the trial number on the soda bottle after eruption. 9. Repeat steps 3-8 three more times. 10. Once all trials for room temperature mentos are completed; use an electronic scale to measure the original mass, in grams, of the soda and then the mass after the eruption to determine the mass lost. 11. For heated mentos trials, place 5 mentos at a time into a microwave safe dish and heat until 30ď&#x201A;° C, approximately 30 seconds. 12. Using the heated mentos, repeat steps 3-8 from the control trials four times. 13. After explosions are complete, measure the mass of the sodas and subtract the weight from the original weight of an unused bottle of diet pepsi. 14. Convert height of explosion in bricks to centimeters, where 1 brick is equivalent to 7 cm.

IV. RESULTS The experiment compared the height of diet pepsi eruptions between room temperature mentos (25ď&#x201A;° C) and heated mentos (30ď&#x201A;° C). Figure 1 illustrates the impact of mentos temperature on the height of the explosion in the form of the bar graph. For the room temperature mentos, the average time between the opening of the soda bottle and the pin being pulled on the geyser tube was 15.2 seconds. The average height achieved was 234.5 cm above the top of the geyser tube and the average mass lost was 313.85 g. For the heated mentos, the average timing between the opening of the soda and the pulling of the pin was 14.9 seconds. The average height reached was 311.5 cm, and the average mass lost was 324.05 g. These results show that there was, on average, an increase of 32.8% in the height of the eruption when using heated mentos, compared to the room temperature ones. Data Tables of Actual Results Room Temperature Mentos Trial

Time between Opening of Cap and Pin being Pulled on Geyser Tube (seconds)

Height of Explosion (centimeters)

14.9

217.0

313.40

15.9

203.0

311.90

15.0

273.0

311.20

4 AVERAGE

15.0 15.2

245.0 234.5

318.90 313.85

Trial

Heated Mentos Time between Opening of Height of Explosion Cap and Pin being (centimeters) Pulled on Geyser Tube (seconds)

Mass Lost (grams)

14.3

294.0

322.80

15.1

315.0

328.30

15.0

301.0

320.20

4 AVERAGE

15.2 14.9

336.0 311.5

324.90 324.05

Data Table of Predicted Eruption Heights based on Temperature of Mentos and Hackett-Horton Law

FIGURE 1

Predicted Height of Eruptions as a Function of Mentos Temperature using Hackett-Horton Law: H=15.4t-150.5 Temperature 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 of Mentos (C) Height of Eruption (cm)

234.5

311.5

388.5

465.5

542.5

619.5

696.5

773.5

850.5

927.5

1004.5

1081.5

1158.5

Heating Mentos to 30° C Increases the Height of a Diet Pepsi Eruption by 32.8% compared to 25° C Mentos Eruption Height (centimeters)

400 336

350 300 250

273

217

311.5

301

315

294

245

234.5

203

200

25° Celcius Mentos

150

30° Celcius Mentos

100 50 0

FIGURE 2

Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 3

Trial

Trial 4

Average

Predicted Height of Eruptions as a Fucntion of Mentos Temperature using Hackett-Horton Law: H=15.4t-150.5 1400

Height of Eruption (cm)

1200

1158.5 1081.5

1004.5

1000 927.5 850.5

800

773.5 696.5 Height of Eruption

619.5

600 542.5 465.5 400

388.5 311.5

200

234.5

0 25° C 30° C 35° C 40° C 45° C 50° C 55°C

60°C

65°C

70°C

75°C 80° C 85° C

Temperature of Mentos (°C) VI. CONCLUSION The experiment has demonstrated that heating mentos to 30 C will increase the height of an eruption by an average of 77 bricks or 32.8%. Additionally, the mass lost was recorded compared to the original mass of 525 g. Compared to the room temperature mentos, the heated mentos constituted a larger mass lost, at 3.25%. The data collected can be considered valid, as other research in this field has supported previous findings. As stated beforehand, Cutler and Smith found that heating mentos to 40 C increased the height of the eruption. However, the validity of the majority of previous research on the correlation of heating mentos and the height of the explosion is questionable. All previous conclusions have been based on a maximum of two trials, increasing the possible percentage error. In order to lessen the chances of errors, four trials for each temperature mentos were completed, and any questionable results were redone. In addition, the timing of the explosion was kept, on average, to within 0.3 seconds of each other. However, a few possible errors may have occurred during the experiment. Some experimental error could have occurred in regard to the heated mentos as the temperature was taken just as they exited the microwave and may have cooled down slightly by the time they were in the cannon and being dropped into the diet pepsi. Other factors could include wind speed and direction and the angle at which the soda bottle was placed. In the future, a 20 launch angle would be recommended as a constant. Next, if any of the bottles were

shaken unknowingly, opening the bottles would release a greater amount of carbon dioxide compared to unshaken bottles. To improve the experiment, an indoor launch site would benefit the results as wind would not be a factor, and a more consistent time between the heating and dropping of the mentos would occur. Despite these factors, the data collected is still thought to be accurate because of the closeness in range of the data points and the amount of data collected. This both supports and solidifies the hypothesis that heating mentos increases the height of an eruption. One of the major discoveries related to the experiment was a correlation between mentos temperature and eruption height. By creating a linear function, a prediction could be made for eruption heights with untested heats of mentos. By using the known data points, and point-slope form, the function was determined to be H=15.4t-150.5, where H is the eruption height in centimeters, and t is the temperature of the mentos in degrees Celsius. This function was christened the Hackett-Horton Law. This ability to predict eruption heights as a function of mentos temperatures would allow for calculating hypothetical eruptions with mentos at temperatures so high they would deform. Also, with additional data points, a quadratic formula could be formed to show eruption heights for mentos at extremely low temperatures. However, this would also eventually fail, as at a temperature of -273.5 C, they would reach absolute zero. A follow up experiment would be determining at which mentos temperature the HackettHorton Law fails, when the structural fatigue become too great and the mentos melt. In addition to heating mentos to the point of structural failure, mentos could be frozen using dry ice, to determine when they crack. Overall, this experiment successfully indicated that heating mentos to 30 C from 25 C increases the height of a diet pepsi eruption by an average of 77 cm, or 32.8%.

Endnotes: i

Jacob H, Ben B, and Colton S. The Effect of Different Sodas on the Height of a Soda and Mentos Eruption. Guilford Journal of Chemistry, Volume 5, Page 4 (2011). ii Juandiego C. Manipulating the Surface of Mentos: The Resulting Diet Coke and Mentos Explosion Height will Increase if the Increased Surface Roughness is Greater Than the Losses of Mass and Gum Arabic. Guilford Journal of Chemistry, Volume 5, Page 62 (2011). iii Coffey, Tonya. Diet Coke and Mentos: What is Really behind this Physical Reaction? Am. J. Phys, Vol. 76, No. 6, Pages 551-557 (2008). iv Anny Y. Mint Mentos Erupt 165 Higher Than Strawberry Mentos and 55% Higher Than Green Apple Mentos with Diet Coke. Guilford Journal of Chemistry, Volume 5, Page 11 (2011). v Angelise Musterer and Lindsay Ruotolo. Diet Pepsi â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Not Diet Coke â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Produces High Results in Mentos Eruption When Compared to Other Diet Carbonated Drinks. Guilford Journal of Chemistry, Volume 2, Page 12 (2008). vi Rachel Cutler and Emma Smith. Mentos Eruptions are increased by heating or Cooling the Mints. Guilford Journal of Chemistry, Volume 1, Page 7 (2007).

Amount of Carbonation Matters - Height of Eruption Decreases 80% When Diet Coke Bottles Opened 48 Hours Prior to Eruption By Jaimie C and Becca W Summary: This experiment tested how the time between opening a diet coke and performing the explosion affects how large the explosion is. We hypothesized that the longer the time span between opening the soda and releasing the Mentos, the smaller the explosion because of the decreased amount of carbon dioxide. To test the hypothesis, we used five different amounts of time, forty hours, twenty four hours, ten minutes, five minutes, and then a constant, which we immediately opened before the explosion. The average height of the explosion after forty eight hours was three bricks, after twenty four hours was seven bricks, after ten minutes was fifty bricks, after five minutes was thirty eight bricks, and immediately after was forty eight bricks. Introduction: The diet coke and Mentos experiment was previously performed on the 2006 Mythbuster’s episode and was first introduced in 1999 on the David Letterman show³. When a soda bottle is opened, the carbon dioxide stays in the bottle for the most part, unless an object is dropped in it, the soda is shaken, or the liquid is poured out4. When the gas is in the bottle, it cannot expand to form more bubbles4. When a Mento’s is dropped in a soda having a very rough surface, it causes nucleation to occur and growth of carbon dioxide bubbles5. This gas expansion causes the soda to explode out of the bottle5. According to the Mythbuster’s episode, diet coke is the most reactive soda to use in this experiment because it contains caffeine, aspartame, and potassium benzoate³. Diet coke also works best because it does not have large sugar molecules². Because of this, carbon dioxide is released faster, and nucleation is not slowed down². The original Mentos lab experiment is performed by dropping a few Mentos into a freshly opened bottle of diet coke, resulting in an eruption³. Olivia S and Bronyn R previously did an experiment almost identical to this study, measuring the effects of the level of carbonation of the soda. They tested this by using three different amounts of time, thirty seconds, one minute, and five minutes¹. The report’s average eruption height for thirty seconds was 423 cm, one minute was

364 cm, and five minutes was 329 cmยน. They were able to make the conclusion that when a diet coke is left unopened for a lengthened amount of time, the eruption will be more explosiveยน. Experimental: 1. Purchase 10 bottles of Diet Coke and 4 packs of regular mint Mentos 2. Open the Diet Coke bottles prior to experiment at designated time intervals, 2 bottles per each time interval (48 hrs, 24 hrs, 10 min, 5 min, and immediate) 3. Place a board near a wall where the experiment will be conducted 4. Fill a geyser tube with 6 Mentos and screw it on top of the first Diet Coke bottle 5. Pull the pin to trigger eruption 6. Measure the height of the eruption and record the data (helpful to measure where the soda reached, based on markings on wall) 7. Repeat steps 4-6 with all 10 sodas 8. Compile the data into a table Results: Time Soda Open (min)

Height of Eruption (cm) First Trial Second Trial Average

0.5 min

335 cm

330 cm

333 cm

1 min

286 cm

1 min

350 cm

322 cm

336 cm

5 min

259 cm

5 min

210 cm

322 cm

266 cm

10 min

350 cm

1440 min (24 hrs)

70 cm

27 cm

49 cm

2880 min (48 hrs)

27 cm

*Blue Ink represents data from the Schultes and Reeve experiment

Height of Eruption (cm)

Effect of Carbonation on Eruption Height

Time Bottles Opened (min)

Conclusion: This experiment explored the effect of carbonation on the height of the eruption. The data proves that the longer the bottle is opened, diffusing the carbon dioxide, the smaller the eruption will be because ample carbon dioxide is necessary for a successful eruption4. There was an 80% decrease in the height of the eruption from the one minute eruption and the forty-eight hour eruption. Our data also supports the conclusion made in the Schultes and Reeve experiment. The longer the bottle is opened prior to the release of the Mentos, the smaller the eruption. The results make sense because the height generally decreases as the amount of time the bottle is opened decreases. In both ten minute trials, the height was significantly greater than what was expected, so in a follow up experiment, that time increment would need to be assessed. Also, to solidify our conclusion, adding more trials per each time increment and adding more time increments would be helpful. For example, there could be trials for one, two, three, four, and five hours to close the gap between the twenty-four hour trial and the ten minute trial. However, from the data we collected and compared with previous experiments, the amount of time the bottle is opened to diffuse the carbon dioxide is definitely correlated with the height of the eruption; less carbonation results in a smaller eruption.

References:

1. The Amount of Time between Opening a Bottle of Diet Coke and the Mentos Release Affects the Size of the Eruption by Olivia S and Bronwyn R. Guilford J. Chem., 2011-2012, pp. 51-53. 2. Chemistry for Kids Taught by Rand Mahoney and Greg Bowers. Mt. Diablo Silverado Council- Pow Wow 2008 (Jan. 19, 2008). 3. Diet Coke and Mentos: What is really behind this physical reaction? By Tonya Shea Coffey Am. J. Phys. 2008, volume 76, number 6, pp. 551-557. 4. Fun in the Sun with Science by Susan Weiss. The Broward Education Foundation. 5. World Record for Mentos- Diet Coke Geyser Eruptions by Susan W. Kieffer. Geology In Motion. June 16, 2010.

Coated Fruit Mentos Produce an Eruption Height 35.9% Greater than Those with Removed Coating Report by: Joe I. Tested by: Isaac A. Chris C. and Joe I. Summary: Diet-Coke and Mentos are two common household indulgences and also provide a common classroom experiment, as they produce an eruption when in contact with each-other. A multitude of experiments can be configured based upon these two ingredients, and the subject matter of this experiment had been whether or not the candy surface of Mentos affected eruption height. To briefly depict the experiment, things used had been regular Fruit Mentos without alterations as a control, and then sanded Mentos, with no candy-coating, as the test. Constants had been Diet-Coke bottle size (12oz.), 15 seconds between opening the bottle and putting Mentos in, five Mentos for each drop, four trials per test, scale used, system used to measure (SI), type of beverage (Diet-Coke), sand paper, and type of Mentos (fruit). This test was initialized in order to find if nucleation was key, or if the candy-coat was a necessity. The results returned data that showed the unaffected Mentos went 224cm in height, 35.9% higher on average, than the sanded Mentos which went 143.5cm. Also recorded was the mass of the beverage after each trial. The starting mass for each was 353.5g (this is without the mass of the bottle which is 29g), and the average ending mass had been 132.6g (losing 220.9g) for the control and 145.075g (losing 208.4g) for the sanded Mentos, showing that the normal Mentos lost the most mass by 5.7%. Introduction: The constantly discussed investigation of Mentos candy and Diet-Coke has been a widespread test throughout the entirety of the world, ranging throughout each grade and even into professional studies. Thus, because of its recent rise to fame, an abundance of studies have been produced and reproduced, yet the reason for the eruption still remains a heavily debated mystery. A plethora of various tests have been recorded as well, yet common conclusions point mainly to the surface of the Mentos as an integral factor. Since the test was popularized by scientist Lee Mareck in 1999 on the David Letterman show, the idea of nucleation has been a key factor. Nucleation, in this context, can be defined as when carbonated bubbles form in pockets of a rough solid (Mentos).1 Mareck had claimed this to be the sole reason for the explosion; the fact that the Mentos broke the liquid surface tension and had bubbles form in nucleation sights after

the liquid was displaced. This too was supported by the Mythbusters team, as they stated that the wax coating on Fruit Mentos inhibited a successful eruption, yet much other research contradicts this, including the experiment discussed in this report.2 In the Guilford Journal of Chemistry Vol. 1, an investigation by Carly C. and Jenn A. showed results that unaffected Mentos reached an average height of 230cm, while Mentos without this coating went approximately 200cm lower, as they reached a height of 33.33cm.3 Jenna P. of Journal Vol. 5 had too pursued a similar experiment and concluded that, in fact, coating positively affected eruption height.4 In a more professional experiment by Professor Tonya Shea Coffey of Appalachian State University, surface roughness was tested using a scanning electronic microscope (SEM). Wint-o-Green Lifesavers had shown a surface roughness of 2630nm while fruit flavored Mentos only showed a surface roughness of 443nm, yet the results stand in contradiction to the theorizations of Mythbusters. The rough Wint-o-Green Lifesaver had only went 7ft high and lost a mass of 1430g when dropped in a 2L Diet-Coke, while the smoother Fruit Mentos went 17.8ft high, while losing a mass of 1440g. This test also reported that contributing chemicals in the experiment are gum Arabic in the Mentos, and caffeine, potassium benzoate, aspartame in Diet-Coke.5 The investigation of focus in this paper had reported that, on average, the regular Mentos reached a height of 224cm, while the sanded down, uncoated Mentos reached an average height of 143.5cm. Experimental Section: This experiment had been to find if the manipulation of the surface of the Mentos would result in different eruption intensities. The control trial had been Mentos with no modifications, while the test had been Mentos sanded down to a point where no coating was left. Constants had been 12oz. bottle size, 15 seconds between opening the bottle and dropping Mentos in, five Mentos for each drop, four trials per test, scale used, system used to measure (SI), type of beverage (Diet-Coke), the sand paper used, and type of Mentos (fruit). The independent or manipulated variable had been type of Mentos, while the dependent had been eruption intensity, measured by the height of the eruption and mass lost. There are few safety concerns other than wearing goggles at all times throughout the duration of the test, and to not wear nice clothing, as it may get dirty. Materials used were: ď&#x201A;ˇ

Fruit Mentos (at least 40)

ď&#x201A;ˇ

A Geyser Tube



12oz. Diet-Coke bottles (at least 8)



A stopwatch



A level environment with little distractions



A heavy-duty mass scale set to grams



Sandpaper (Grade does not matter so long as it can remove coat)



Pencil and Paper



Safety goggles (number dependent on number of people participating)

The steps, or procedure, in order to replicate this test are as follows: 1. Procure the items above 2. Find a proper location, preferably next to a wall so that height can be easily seen from splashes 3. Measure mass of all full bottles and an empty bottle 4. Begin testing by making sure bottle is on level ground, next to wall, and prepare stopwatch 5. Place goggles on and put five regular Mentos in Geyser Tube 6. Simultaneously begin stopwatch and unscrew cap of bottle 7. Immediately after removal of cap, screw in Geyser Tube and prepare to pull string and release Mentos 8. At fifteen seconds pull the string and drop Mentos into Diet-Coke 9. Record height reached in centimeters and label bottle according to trial 10. Repeat steps 5-9 in the same spot 3 more times 11. Proceed to sand 5 Mentos so that the candy-coat is ENTIRELY removed 12. Repeat Steps 5-9, this time using sanded Mentos 13. Repeat steps 11 and 12 three more times 14. Measure mass of each bottle and record in grams after removing Mentos from the bottle 15. Subtract empty bottle mass from each trial 16. Subtract the mass from the trials from the full bottle mass to find mass lost 17. Then graph the results Error Analysis: Throughout the testing, human errors arose as expected in any other scientific experiment. The main flaws had been that the bottle may not have always been perpendicular to

the ground, the ground was uneven, the candy-coat may not have been completely removed, and at times the soda began to fizz before the addition of Mentos. Had there been a surplus of materials, some of these could have been corrected. Although these factors only slightly altered the results, they still reduce the accuracy and precision of results. In order to form a more perfect analysis of the topic, each error must be overcome and corrected. If the bottle is not perpendicular to the ground then the eruption will be on an angle, reducing overall height. This idea is also true for a bottle that is on uneven ground, because the bottle will not be correctly aligned. If the candy-coat is not completely removed, then it will too affect eruption height because the coat is vital to eruptions. Lastly, one must avoid the shaking of the bottles because it will result in the premature eruption of the beverage, resulting in mass lost prior to test. If these are corrected, more accurate results can be attained. Results: The experiment at hand had produced results that illustrated regular Mentos dominance over those without a candy-coat. Each trial, of both mass and height, produced results in which the eruption strength of unaffected Mentos was greater. The trials for the control height had been 224cm, 252cm, 224cm, and 196cm with an average of 224cm, which was 35.9% higher than the average of the sanded candies. These sanded Mentos went 133cm, 126cm, 196cm, and 119cm averaging to 143.5cm. The averages for the mass lost proved to be closer, yet still the candycoated Mentos still came out with more mass lost. The masses for the control trials had been 229.7g lost, 218.3g lost, 204.5g lost, and 231.1g lost averaging out to 220.9g lost. The masses for the sanded Mentos trials had been 204.9g, 204.9g, 220.7g, and 203g with an average of 208.4g. The sanded Mentos trials had a 5.7% decrease in mass lost from the control. When gathering these results, an observation had been made that the coating of the Mentos began to react quite suddenly when it came into contact with the Diet-Coke, even a single drop would deteriorate the exterior color. The coating was strongly affected by the carbonated beverage, while the sanded Mentos looked rather the same. Another integral observation had been that the sanded Mentos appeared rougher through both visual and tactile observation, yet failed to reach the same height as the candy-coated Mentos. Although this observation was made without evidence other than the five senses, it may still prove to be very important.

Height of Eruptions in Centimeters 300

Height in Centimeters

250 252 200

224

224 196

196

150 100

224

133

Control

143.5

126

Sanded

119

50 0 Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 3

Trial 4

Average

Trial # and Average

Mass Lost After Eruptions In Grams

240

230 Mass Lost in Grams

231.1 220

229.7 220.7

220.9

218.3

210

Control 200

208.4 204.9

204.9

204.5

203

190

180 Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 3

Trial 4

Average

Trial # and Average

Conclusion: Our Results had been gathered with only minor errors thus one can conclude that they are, in fact, correct. They too align with previous experiments in this art; therefore they are a reliable reference in the quest for answers. The results, once again, had proven that a candy-coat was a definite necessity for optimum eruption intensity, as the control Mentos went 35.9% higher, and the control lost 5.7% more mass. These results stand in dispute of the Mythbusters experiment and that of Lee Mareck, who stated that nucleation, was the sole factor and that the wax coating of Fruit Mentos would inhibit a successful eruption. In contrast the wax, candy-coat proved itself to be quite a requirement for a successful eruption. The sanded Mentos, as

Sanded

observed, had been rougher as well which provides more possible sites for nucleation, yet they had not gone nearly as high as the control Mentos. Although the gathered data disputes that of the television program Mythbusters, and the studies of Lee Mareck, it runs parallel to the gathered data of other Guilford High School students who pursued similar investigations. A possible explanation for such results is that an integral ingredient in a Diet-Coke and Mentos eruption lies within the coat, this is not only supported by the data gathered, but by observation as well, as it was noted that when Mentos came into contact with the beverage, the coat immediately began to break down. Thus the collected results indicate that nucleation is not the main factor, and that it may not be a factor at all. If Professor Coffey and the Mythbusters team was succesful in identifying the key reactants, then the gum arabic of the Mentos may lie in the coat (mind you this is not fact but a prediction). If one wishes to pursue Mentos and carbonated beverage eruptions, but not this particular one, they may want to explore the effect of temperature on eruption intensity, or the effect of carbonation. More ideas still are nozzle position, soda types, or even items besides Mentos. All are interesting fields one may pursue, and can provide important insight to the scientific world.

Endnotes: 1. Mentos Review Article: Effect of Nucleation Sites on Mentos by Caleb F, Guilford J. Chem., 2009-2010, pp. 9-11. 2. Nucleation Sites and the Diet Coke-Mentos Reaction: A Review by Ted J, Guilford J. Chem., 2009-2010, pp. 18-20. 3. How the Coatings of Mentos Affects the Size of the Mentos Eruption by Carly C and Jenn A, Guilford J. Chem., 2007-2008, pp. 17-18. 4. The Height of the Mentos Eruption Depends on the Outside Coating, by Jenna P. Guilford J. Chem., 2011-2012, pp. 31-32. 5. Diet-Coke and Mentos: What is Really Behind this Physical Reaction? By Tonya Shea Coffey Am.J. Phys. 2008, Vol. 76, No.6, pp. 551-557.

Crushed Mentos Create an Eruption that is, on average, 44 cm Less than Full Mentos By Laurel Z. and Ashley I. Summary- The Mentos and diet cola eruption is a well-known experiment.1 When Mentos are dropped into a newly opened bottle of diet cola; a large amount of the cola will suddenly shoot out of the mouth of the bottle. Depending on the size of the cola and the number of Mentos you drop in, the height that the cola will erupt to ranges from a few inches to many feet.1 The effect of placing crushed Mentos in Diet Pepsi versus the effect of placing regular Mentos in Diet Pepsi was tested. Six Mentos were dropped into a 12oz bottle of Diet Pepsi as a control and then five crushed and one full Mentos were dropped into another 12oz bottle of Diet Pepsi as the experiment. A total of three trials were performed. In the end, it was found that the crushed Mentos created an eruption that was, on average, 44 cm less than that of the eruption of the full Mentos. This disagrees largely with Emily’s Ring and Kipness’s experiment because their results showed that slicing Mentos in half results in an eruption that is double the height of regular Mentos.2 This agrees largely with the experiment that Sara D. and Alex B. did because they’re results showed that crushing Mentos will not make the eruption larger.3 Introduction- The Diet Coke and Mentos experiment conducted by Dr. Tonya Shea Coffey concluded many things. The soda with the sample that both lost the most mass and sprayed the farthest was Diet Coke with fruit Mentos.1 They also found that higher the temperature of the soda, the more mass it would loose during the reaction.1 There is still much to be experimented with the Diet Coke and Mentos eruption.

Experimental Section1. Bring in one six-pack of twelve milliliter bottles of Diet Pepsi 2. Bring in three packs of mint Mentos 3. Go outside and find a wall with bricks 4. Measure how many centimeters are in one brick 5. Put one bottle at an angle in front of the wall 6. Get a Geyser tube and insert the pin and put in six Mentos 7. Put on safety goggles 8. Unscrew soda cap 9. Screw on Geyser tube 10. Pull out the pin 11. Look to see the highest point that the eruption reaches 12. Record data

13. Repeat steps five through twelve three times 14. Cut five Mentos with scissors into four pieces 15. Get a Geyser tube and insert the pin and put in one Mentos Results- The results are summarized below in Table 1. For the first trial that was conducted, the full Mentos eruption hit a height of 189 cm while the crushed Mentos only reached a height of 175 cm. In this trial, the full Mentos had an eruption that was 14 cm higher than the crushed Mentos. In the second trial that was conducted, the full Mentos eruption hit a height of 294 cm while the crushed Mentos only reached a height of 203 cm. In this trial, the full Mentos had an eruption that was 91 cm higher than the crushed Mentos. During the third trial that was conducted, the full Mentos eruption hit a height of 315 cm while the crushed Mentos only reached a height of 287 cm. In this trial, the full Mentos had an eruption that was 28 cm higher than the crushed Mentos. On average, the crushed Mentos reached a height that was 44 cm lower than that of the full Mentos. The possible error bars are quite small. There may have been some error depending on the time that we took to open the bottle of soda and to screw the geyser tube on. Conclusion- In the experiment we conducted, we found out that the crushed Mentos decrease the height of the eruption of an average of about forty-four centimeters. The reason for this decreasing eruption is that since the Mentos are cut up, there is less coating, which triggers less of an eruption. This agrees with Carly Clark and Jenn Agamie’s experiment.5 Their experiment proved how the coating of Mentos affects the size of the eruption. This is significant because it demonstrates that if the Mentos are physically altered that the results will not be as high. The experiment that we performed agrees with Marley S. and Teresa L.’s experiment.4 Their experiment showed that physically altered Mentos create a lower eruption than whole Mentos. Endnotes: 1

Diet Coke and Mentos: What is really behind this physical reaction? Tonya Shea Coffee, Am. J. Phys. 2008, volume 76, number 6, pg. 551-557 2 Mentos Sliced in Half will Double the Height of a Mentos Eruption. Emily’s Ring and Kipness, Guilford J. Chem., 2008-2009, pg. 38 3 Crushing Mentos will not make the eruption larger. Sara D. and Alexa B., Guilford J. Chem., 2011-2012, pg. 38-39 4 A Physically Altered Mentos Creates A Lower Eruption Than A Whole Mentos. Marley S. and Teresa L., Guilford J. Chem., 2010-2011, pp. 34-38 5 How the Coatings of Mentos affects the size of the Mentos Eruption. Carly Clark and Jenn Agamie, Guilford J. Chem., 2007-2008, pg. 19-20

The Effect of Different Diet Soda Brands on the Height of Mentos Eruptions By: Mackenzie C. Natalia P. Amanda P.

Summary For the experiment, two different soda brands were used to determine if a different carbonated drink would create an effect on the eruptions height. The two different soda brands used were Diet Pepsi and Diet Coke. In previous research diet coke was usually the best diet drink to use to erupt Mentos. This experiment showed that this is not just a reaction with diet coke because the Diet Pepsi drink worked to erupt the Mentos as well. Diet Pepsi reached the highest height of 525 cm. and Diet Coke’s highest height was 385 cm. The Diet Pepsi reached a higher height than the Diet Coke, which shows that Diet Pepsi works better in Mentos eruptions and contradicts previous research that shows that Diet Coke is better. Introduction When the Mentos eruptions have been done in the past they used the same focus, but were different in the way they were conducted. For our experiment we used just two soda brands. The different soda brands, which were Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi, were the independent variable and the experiment was conduced solely to determine which carbonated drink would prove the best. The results, that are also the dependent variable, showed that Diet Pepsi had the highest eruption heights of 525 cm, 490 cm, and 455 cm whereas; the Diet coke only reached a highest height of 385 cm. Even Diet Pepsi’s lowest height of 245 cm still beat Diet Coke’s lowest height by 70 cm. Previous tests for the Mentos eruptions created different results, but in one particular experiment previously done the results were similar to the results gathered in this experiment.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Conclusions from the Mentos experiment are a shown: Diet Pepsi reached the highest height of 73 ft. When Diet coke was used the highest explosion height was only 46 ft. thus showing that Diet Pepsi is the better carbonated drink to use.â&#x20AC;?i Through this experiment it can be concluded that Diet Pepsi is the better carbonated drink to use than Diet Coke because it got higher results in the eruption.

Experimental Materials: 200 individual Mint Mentos, 16 12floz bottles of Diet Coke, 16 12floz bottles of Diet Pepsi, geyser tube, white board to use as a platform, plastic bag for trash, safety goggles Procedure: 1. Get all supplies 2. Take one 12floz bottle of Diet Coke and 6 Mentos from supplies 3. Put Mentos into geyser tube 4. Place platform on ground and place bottle on top of it 5. Open bottle and place geyser tube on bottle 6. Release pin on geyser tube to drop Mentos and walk away from area to observe and record height 7. Measure height of eruption and record data 8. Repeat steps 2-6 with the rest of the bottles of Diet Coke 9. Repeat steps 2-6 with all of the bottles of Diet Pepsi 10. Analyze data Results

Trial

Diet Coke

Diet Pepsi

217 cm

245 cm

217 cm

336 cm

245 cm

294 cm

266 cm

350 cm

280 cm

266 cm

385 cm

420 cm

301 cm

343 cm

175 cm

378 cm

210 cm

420 cm

217 cm

490 cm

259 cm

525 cm

259 cm

455 cm

280 cm

525 cm

Averages: Diet Coke: 254.6923077 cm Diet Pepsi: 388.2307692 cm

Height of Eruptions (cm)

Height of Mentos Eruptions with Different Brands of Diet Soda 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0

Average

Diet Coke

Diet Pepsi Diet Soda Brand

Conclusion The results reject the initial thought of which brand of diet carbonated soda would erupt the highest. The hypothesis was that Diet Coke would erupt to a higher point than Diet Pepsi because people always say the Diet Coke and Mentos eruptions and not Diet Pepsi. This was rejected because the average height of Diet Pepsi was 388.2307692 cm while the average height of the Diet Coke was 254.6923077 cm. The Diet Pepsiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s average height was a meter and a half taller than the Diet Coke. This is due to the fact that there is 10mg less sodium in Diet Pepsi than Diet Coke. Also, Diet Coke uses potassium citrate while Diet Pepsi uses potassium benzoate. Potassium citrate regulates the acidity in the Diet Coke while potassium benzoate is used as a preservative. Potassium benzoate being used as a preservative helps keep the carbonation of the Diet Pepsi stable, which in turn makes the eruptions go higher. A follow-up experiment would include figuring out what brand of Mentos would make the eruptions go highest.

Endnotes i

The Effect of different carbonated beverages on Mentos eruptions. A review by Courtney S, Guilford J. Chem., 2009-2010, pp.28-30.

Whole Mentos Have a 15% Increase of Eruption Height Compared to Mentos that Were Broken into Halves and Quarters By Morgan D. and Sami C.

Summary In this study, Mentos were split in half and in quarters to see if the eruption would go higher in Diet Pepsi than an eruption of whole Mentos in Diet Pepsi. The data that was collected shows that the halves and quarter Mentos actually went on average 15% lower than the whole Mentos. Our data supports the results of several other experiments where they also altered the shape of the Mentos.

Introduction In the Mentos eruption experiment, several Mentos are dropped into a bottle of cola. The Mentos create an eruption that shoots through the mouth of the bottle and up into the air.1 Depending on how many Mentos used and the size of the bottle of cola the eruption heights will be different. The surface of the Mento may have an effect on the eruption height because the outer coat of the Mento is not completely smooth.2 Additionally, Diana and Sarah showed that changing the outer coat with dish soap does not increase the height of the eruption either.3 When the Mentos were physically altered, such as crushing them, it was found that it took long and the

eruption was lower.4 Sara and Alexaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experiment supports that crushing the Mentos does not help and causes the eruption to be 81 inches lower than regular Mentos.5 There is one experiment where the Mentos were cut in halves, quarters, and also crushed, and the data shows that the whole Mentos caused the highest eruption.6 Overall, these experiments show that changing the surface or the shape of the Mento lowers the eruption height of the cola. In order to see if surface area really does affect the eruption height of the cola, we decided to design an experiment where the Mentos are split in half and in quarters to see if the eruption are any bigger than regular Mentos.

Experimental Materials: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Nine 12 ounce bottles of Diet Pepsi 54 Mentos Geyser tube Pencil Timer Safety goggles Flat board/surface

Procedure: 1. Put on safety goggles and wear throughout the experiment 2. Put 6 whole Mentos into geyser tube 3. Place unopened soda on flat board/surface and angle it toward a wall

4. When soda is opened start timer and place geyser tube on soda 5. When timer reaches 20 seconds, release Mentos into soda 6. Record the height of the eruption according to the mark on the wall from the soda 7. Repeat steps 2-6 two more times 8. Split 6 Mentos in half by pushing a pencil in the center 9. Put the 12 halves into the geyser tube 10. Repeat steps 3-6 11. Split 6 more Mentos in half with the pencil and place in geyser tube for second trial 12. Repeat steps 3-6 13. Split 6 more Mentos in half with the pencil and place in geyser tube for last trial 14. Split 6 Mentos into quarters with pencil and place in geyser tube 15. Repeat steps 3-6 16. Split 6 Mentos into quarters with pencil and place in geyser tube for second trial 17. Repeat 3-6 18. Split 6 Mentos into quarters with pencil and place in geyser tube for last trial

Results In this experiment, when six Mentos were dropped into twelve ounce bottles of Diet Pepsi, the whole Mentos went an average height of 140 cm, while the halves and quarters of Mentos both went an average of 119 cm. This data shows that when Mentos are cut in half or quarters that the eruption will go 21 cm or 15% lower than an average whole Mento eruption. Whole Mentos Â˝ Mentos Âź Mentos

Trial 1 154 cm 126 cm 133 cm

Trial 2 112 cm 112 cm 105 cm

Trial 3 161 cm 112 cm 112 cm

Average 140 cm 119 cm 119 cm

Conclusion Our results show that the height of the eruption was larger with whole Mentos than broken Mentos. We think this because there was less of the rough covering of the Mentos. This is where the carbon dioxide bubbles stay causing the eruption. Since there is less space for it, there is a smaller eruption taking place. This suggests that the interior of the Mento is actually smoother than the outer coating that is placed on the Mento. The evidence supports the results of four other experiments in that the whole Mentos went higher. However, it did not have a difference as high as the other experiments, such as the one by Diana and Sarah. Our tests were not completely identical because we tested halves and quarters and the other experiments tested crushed Mentos. We did numerous trials so there were few errors in our data. Another follow-up experiment could be testing other materials with a similar surface as to that of a Mentos to see if the surface is what affects the eruption.

Endnotes 1

Diet Coke and Mentos: What is really behind this physical reaction? Tonya Shea Coffey, American Journal of Physics, Volume 76, Number 6, pp. 551. 2 ibid, p.556. 3 Solid Mentos Create Eruptions 5 Times Higher Compared to Crushed Mentos. Diana C. and Sarah G., Guilford Journal of Chemistry, Volume 4, 2010-2011, pp. 15-19. 4 A Physically Altered Mentos Creates A Lower Eruption Than A Whole Mentos. Marley S. and Teresa L., Guilford Journal of Chemistry, Volume 4, 2010-2011, pp.34-38. 5 Crushing Mentos Will Not Make the Eruption Larger. Sara D. and Alexa B., Guilford Journal of Chemistry, Volume 5, 2011-2012, pp.36-37. 6 Increasing Surface Area of Mentos Generally Causes Eruption Height to Decrease. Alicia R., Sarah R., and Casey S., Guilford Journal of Chemistry, Volume 4, 2012-2011, pp. 20-21.

The Larger Tube Angle, 360˚, produces a 65% Decrease in the Height of the Mint Mentos Eruption in Comparison to a 0˚ Tube Angle By Sydney S. and Krissa C. I.

Summary

The objective of this experiment was to discover how different angle measures affect the height of a Mint Mentos eruption. This was performed by testing three different tube structures (1.0 m), with varying angle measurements that were attached to the mouth of the geyser tube. The geyser tube was then screwed on to a 16 oz. diet coke bottle and contained six Mentos that would be later dropped to cause an explosion. The three tubes measured at angles of 5˚, 45˚, and 360˚, with their structures being straight, S-shaped, and looped respectively. A tube was not involved when testing the control, having no angle measurement or in this case, 0˚. The height of the Mentos eruption was recorded depending on the number of bricks that the diet coke covered. Each brick was measured at 7.5 cm or .075 m. Three trials were completed and averaged to determine which tube had the greatest influence on the height of the Mentos eruption. As the angle increases, the height of the Mentos eruption decreases due to extra pressure needed to push the diet coke through the tube. The control reached an average height of 2.8 meters (37 bricks), the straight tube had an average height of 1.9 meters (25 bricks), the looped tube was .98 meters (13 bricks), and the S-shaped tube obtained a height of 1.7 meters (22 bricks). As a result, the control proved to produce a 65% increase in the height of the Mentos eruption in comparison to the 360˚ tube, in this case the largest tube angle. II.

Introduction

Mentos eruptions are often being investigated by scientists to focus on the cause of this physical change or to complete as an activity at home or at school. This particular eruption is due to the ingredients in both the diet coke and the Mentos. For instance, the diet coke is comprised mostly of carbonated water and sugars, such as aspartame. On the other hand, the Mentos contain no carbonates, mostly sugars, gelatin, and gum arabic. This composition is responsible for nucleation, which is when CO2 bubbles form on the Mentos surface once the mints enter the diet coke. The Mentos are denser, so they sink to the bottom of the diet coke bottle. At the bottom, enough pressure builds due to the separation between water molecules causing an explosion. Lee Marek was first acknowledges for performing the typical Mentos eruption on the David Letterman Show by releasing Mentos in a diet coke bottle. Over time, the idea attracted many scientists to enhance the concept behind the experiment. Specifically, the Myth busters experimented with the original Mentos, but also compared the height of the

eruption by incorporating fruit flavored Mentos. The Myth busters found that the flavored Mentos did provide a substantial height difference in comparison to the mint Mentos. However, these results are due to the fact that the Myth busters added an extra coating to the flavored Mentos causing the eruption have a smaller reaction. The results of the eruption were influenced by factors, such as the type of ingredients within the diet coke and flavored Mentos and the texture of the Mentos. A third experiment was tested by the students at Appalachian State University, who experimented with different substances, other than Mentos, that were dropped within the diet coke bottle. The students expanded upon the factors that may influence the height of the eruption, such as temperature and caffeine. Once these particular experiments were completed, they all demonstrated that a larger amount of fake sugar results in a larger explosion. III.

Experimental/ Procedure A procedure was followed to complete the experiment: 1. Buy twelve 16-ounce diet coke bottles and seven roles of Mint Mentos 2. Find a location near a brick wall in order to use the bricks as a measurement to determine the height of the Mentos eruption 3. Place a board with a hard surface next to the brick wall 4. Angle the board towards the brick wall by placing a rock underneath the board 5. Place six Mint Mentos in the plastic geyser with the pin through the bottom to prevent the Mint Mentos from falling out the other end of the geyser 6. Place the end of the straight tube over the mouth of the plastic geyser 7. Tape the plastic geyser and the straight tube together 8. Put on safety goggles 9. Place a diet coke bottle on the board in front of the brick wall and remove the cape 10. Immediately place the open end of the plastic geyser and screw it on the mouth of the diet coke without pulling the pin and releasing the Mint Mentos 11. Once the plastic geyser is secured on the diet coke bottle, pull the pin to release the Mint Mentos and trigger the eruption 12. Count the number of bricks that are soaked to measure the height of the eruption 13. Record the results and repeat with the straight tube until three trials are complete 14. Repeat steps 5-13 with the control, the looped tube, and the S- shaped tube

After examining the results, it was found that the larger tube angle, 360Ë&#x161;, was not effective in producing an increased height in the Mentos eruption. The results consisted of the control having the maximum average height of 2.8 m (37 bricks), whereas the minimum average height was .98 m (13 bricks) for the looped structure. The difference in percent between the two heights was 65%. These results could be due to the variation in angle measurements, which

affects the rate at which the diet coke flows through the tubes. Errors that could also have an impact on the results are the delay between screwing the geyser on to the mouth of the diet coke bottle and releasing the Mentos to begin the eruption. By delaying the time to release the Mentos, the carbonation immediately begins to decrease reducing the amount of pressure, which causes the eruption to have difficulty reaching its potential height. Also, the angle at which the tube was directed against the brick wall varied between each trial, and each tube tapped to the geyser over time detached as the number of trials progressed. With the tube being aligned at a different angle against the brick wall it causes different directions of the diet coke as it explodes through the mouth of the tube. Also, when the tube becomes detached to the geysers, only being held by the tap, pressure is being released, as well as diet coke, decreasing the height of the eruption. For further experimentation, in order to obtain accurate results, it is necessary to place the same object in a set location underneath the surface the diet coke bottle is placed to allow the diet coke to be directed at a constant angle against the brick wall. A solution to prevent the tube from detaching the geyser would be to cut a centimeter long slit on the edge of the tube to allow the tube to slide over the mouth of the geyser. By solving several errors that occurred in the prior experiment, future experiments will be able to record accurate results explaining the average height of a Mentos eruption.

The Effect of Putting 5,7,9, and 11 Mentos to Change the Height the Soda Erupts to 92 Bricks Summary By: T.J. W, Luke N. For our experiment we took four different amounts of Mentos in the sleeve to see the effect that it would have the diet coke. The amount of Mentos that were used was 5, 7, 9, and 11. By doing this, we were able to see if the amount of Mentos that are used would affect the eruption of the soda in any way. With previous knowledge in this topic we were able to know what would happen when we performed it. When we did the experiment we found out that 11 Mentos made the eruption go up 92 bricks, 7 Mentos had the next largest eruption with 89 bricks, then 5 Mentos came in third with 86 bricks, and 9 Mentos was the smallest eruption with 83 bricks. The reason that the 9 Mentos eruption was the smallest amount was because there was an error with that trial that led to uneven data. Also in our experiment we used all mint Mentos and that was proven to be the most consistent compared to the fruit Mentos and in their experiment all of their trial were around 100 bricks while the fruit Mentos had scattered results.i We did not have another soda bottle to run the test again so we kept the data that we had.

Introduction There have been many people before us to perform this test on many different levels than we did. Other people had some of the same results, as we did like 86 bricks for 9 Mentos.ii We realized that their results confirmed that our experiment was correct. We did have uneven data because there were faults when we performed one of the trials. We saw in other experiments that one of their trials were extremely different than other trials but the data was still reliable. One of their trials was at 9.5 and another trial was at 2.iii To make sure that all of our tests were not wrong we found other peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s data that was similar to ours. Their experiment was around 60 bricks when they waited 30 seconds when there was less carbonation but if they did it earlier then it would have been around our data.iv With help from other student research we will be able to find the precise data that will prove all of our research.

Experimental Materials: 4 2liter bottles of diet coke, multiple packages of mint Mentos, geyser tube where you put the Mentos in, nozzle where the soda comes out, brick wall behind it 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Get materials Place 5 Mentos in geyser tube(loading tube on top of soda) Place bottle of diet coke next to wall at an angle to get accurate measurements Open the cap on the coke bottle Insert tube into top of bottle Screw the cap of the nozzle onto the bottle Pull the pin to release the Mentos into the coke to create eruption Count how high the eruption went by bricks Repeat steps with 7,9, and 11 Mentos

10. Record data Results

Mentos Eruptions 94 92

Height in Bricks

90 88 86

Series 1

84 82 80 78 5 mentos

7 mentos

9 mentos

11 mentos

Amount of Mentos

These numbers show us that when 11 Mentos are added to the coke then it will create the biggest eruption. That reached up to 92 bricks. 9 Mentos had the smallest eruption of 83 bricks but we are confident with all of the other test we saw and the other research that that should be the next largest eruption. 7 Mentos had the third largest eruption with 89 bricks. 5 Mentos had the third smallest eruption with 86 bricks. If we were able to perform more trials then our results would be more accurate.

Conclusion In our experiment, we found that if you use 11 Mentos then the eruption will go higher. This should also be the case for any amount of Mentos that is higher than another amount. The reason why that 11 Mentos would go the highest is because there is more CO2 being produced. When Mentos are dropped into the soda they release CO2 and the more Mentos being dropped the more CO2 that will be released and the higher the eruption will go. v The soda with the most Mentos went 3 bricks higher than any other eruption. We were not able to perform multiple tests to ensure that our data was accurate. In other experiment that we saw, they had multiple trials that were able to exclude a result that was obscure. vi The results now could have been much better than they are and it is in fault of the lack of supplies. There was more power being put into the soda when more Mentos were being added and that is why the eruptions were higher. If we were to do this experiment again then we would make sure that we had more materials with us to do more trials. This will make sure that what we are doing wrong can be fixed a

second time we do it. We would make sure that everything is put on correctly to make sure that it is working right for accurate data. We would take our time in doing it to make sure that there are no faults in what we are doing.

Endnotes: i

Ibid, page 7 Craig A. The Guilford Journal of Chemistry, Volume 5, pages 6-7 (2011-2012). iii Clair W and Lindsey U. The Guilford Journal of Chemistry, Volume 5, pages 21-25 (20112012). iv Olivia S and Bronwyn R. The Guilford Journal of Chemistry, Volume 5, pages 51-54 (20112012). v Gabriella Necklas and Kiersten Wall. The Guilford Journal of Chemistry, Volume 1, pages 2325 (2007-2008). vi Allison Federici and Jess LaChance. The Guilford Journal of Chemistry, Volume 2, pages 1516 (2008-2009). ii

Mint- Fruit Combinations Can Erupt 8% Higher than Mint or Fruit Alone in a Mentos Eruption By Grace C. and Madisen P. Summary: This experiment tested the effect of various combinations of mint and fruit Mentos on eruption height. We hypothesized that if the amount of fruit in the ratio of mint to fruit Mentos increases, the eruption height will correlate directly. Seven 12 ounce Diet Pepsi bottles and both mint and fruit flavored Mentos were used to conduct this experiment. Only one trial was executed for each combination of Mentos. To calculate how high each Mentos eruption went, we counted the number of bricks that were sprayed by the soda. Then we measured the height of a single brick and concluded that it is 2.25 inches high. With this information, we were then able to figure out how high the eruptions were in inches. Our most successful eruption consisted of 2 mint and 4 fruit Mentos was 108% higher than our lowest eruption containing 1 mint and 5 fruit Mentos. Introduction: The Mentos eruption involves dropping Mentos into soda, most commonly used with Diet Coke or Pepsi. The more Mentos dropped into the soda results in a higher eruption height according to the report called “How the Amount of Mentos Affects the Height of the Eruption” 4. This experiment was originally brought to society’s attention when shown on the David Letterman show in 1999 5. Additionally, it was the main focus of a Mythbusters episode in 2006 6. It was decided to use Diet Pepsi, rather than another beverage such as Diet Coke, because it is known for producing the highest eruption heights in Mentos experiments. This information was found in a report called, “Diet Pepsi- Not Diet Coke- Results in the Highest Mentos Eruption When Compared to Other Diet Carbonated Drinks”7. Next, the hypothesis stated that the fruit Mentos would cause a more enhanced eruption than mint Mentos. This theory was based on prior knowledge from reading the Tonya Coffey paper settles that fruit Mentos create a higher eruption height than mint flavored ones 8. Experimental Section: 1. Gather supplies: 3 packages of Mint Mentos, 3 packages of Fruit Mentos, and 1 8pack of 12 fluid oz. of Diet Pepsi

2. Unscrew the cap of one Diet Pepsi. 3. Immediately following, screw on the nozzle 4. Insert 6 Mint Mentos. Pull string and erupt. 5. Count bricks that were hit by eruption and record results. 6. Repeat steps 2 & 3 7. Insert 5 Mint Mentos and 1 Fruit Mento. Pull string and erupt. 8. Count bricks that were hit by eruption and record results. 9. Repeat steps 2 & 3 10. Insert 4 Mint Mentos and 2 Fruit Mentos. Pull string and erupt. 11. Count bricks that were hit by eruption and record results. 12. Repeat steps 2 & 3 13. Insert 3 Mint Mentos and 3 Fruit Mentos. Pull string and erupt. 14. Count bricks that were hit by eruption and record results. 15. Repeat steps 2 & 3 16. Insert 2 Mint Mentos and 4 Fruit Mentos. Pull string and erupt. 17. Count bricks that were hit by eruption and record results. 18. Repeat steps 2 & 3 19. Insert 1 Mint Mento and 5 Fruit Mentos. Pull string and erupt. 20. Count bricks that were hit by eruption and record results. 21. Repeat steps 2 & 3 22. Insert 6 Fruit Mentos. Pull string and erupt. 23. Count bricks that were hit by eruption and record results. 24. Clean up materials and recycle bottles! Results:

The results, shown in the table demonstrate what occurred during each trial. In the first trial, there were 6 mint Mentos which resulted in a 38.25 inch high eruption. The second trial with 5 mint and 1 fruit Mento had an outcome of the exact same height eruption with 38.25 inches. The following experiment contained 4 mint and 2 fruit Mentos caused a 33.75 inch eruption. Next, we used 3 of each type of Mento which produced an eruption of 51.75 inches. After, 2 mint and 4 fruit Mentos created a 56.25 inch eruption height. Then, 27.0 inch eruption height was made from 1 mint and 4 fruit Mentos. Finally, 6 fruit Mentos generated a 51.75 inch eruption height. On the bar graph above, it depicts multiple different eruption heights in an unorganized manner. What should have occurred is either a constant negative or positive sloped graph. Conclusion: After the experiment was conducted, we realized our results are unreliable due to many different factors. There is a large margin for error of about 25% throughout this procedure. Multiple parts of the experiment did not turn out as planned. For example, sometimes the bottles were accidentally placed at too much of an angle to the wall, resulting in a lower eruption height due to the soda being pointed too directly toward the wall. Next, many trials had to be redone because the bottle would tip over after the string was pulled. Therefore causing the bottle to fall and spray soda in the opposite direction. The last thing that could have been improved is that more trials should have been completed to receive more accurate and dependable results. All of these improvements will be taken into consideration in the future. The results should have turned out differently. After performing the experiment, we were able to conclude from our data that combinations with greater amounts of fruit than mint produce a higher eruption height. Although if the experiment were to be repeated, the results could easily turn out differently. This is due to the numerous errors that took place throughout the trials. In conclusion, Mentos eruptions with more fruit than mint Mentos in combinations produce a higher eruption height.

Endnotes 1. “How the Amount of Mentos Affects the Height of the Eruption.” By Matt Feldman and Alex Monte, Guilford J. Chem., 2008-2009, p. 27. 2. Coffey, Tonya. “Diet Coke and Mentos: What is really behind this physical reaction?” June 7, 2007: p. 551. 3. Coffey, Tonya. “Diet Coke and Mentos: What is really behind this physical reaction?” June 7, 2007: p. 551. 4. “Diet Pepsi- Not Diet Coke- Results in the Highest Mentos Eruption When Compared to Other Diet Carbonated Drinks.” By Angelise Musterer and Lindsay Ruotolo, Guilford J. Chem., 2008-2009, p. 12-14. 5. Coffey, Tonya. “Diet Coke and Mentos: What is really behind this physical reaction?” June 7, 2007: p. 552.

Various Holes and Designs Placed On Tape Can Significantly Affect Mentos Eruption By Kathryn B. and Katie E.

Summary: We tested the effects that different nozzle designs would have on the spray of a Mentos eruption. The designs were cut into pieces of tape, and then secured on the nozzle of the eruption maker. One regular, 16 oz. Pepsi and three Mint Mentos were used for each trial. The designs were a line-shaped puncture, an upside-down Y-shaped puncture, a design consisting of 16 dots deposited onto the tape, and a downward eruption where the tape was only loosely adhered onto the nozzle of the eruption shooter, causing the Pepsi to flow out the uncovered spaces. The average height of each eruption was as follows: the line-shaped eruption had 11 bricks, the 16-dots eruption had 12 bricks, the upside-down Y-shaped eruption got 7 bricks, and the downward eruption had 2.5 bricks.

Introduction: The classic Mentos eruption was dropping Mint Mentos into a container of Diet Coke, and watching the physical reaction occur as the Coke rushes out of the top of the container as a thrilling jet of light-brown liquid. This is a physical reaction due to the fact that the Mint Mentos create a place where carbon dioxide can expand and eventually shoot out of the bottle. Many different experiments have been tested involving other sodas and candies. Our experiments affected the height and pattern of the eruptions.

Experimental Section: 1. Obtain the following items: one 6-pack of regular, 16 oz. Pepsi soda, 2-3 packs of Mint Mentos, tape, a paper clip, and a red plastic eruption shooter. 2. Find a flat surface, preferably outside, and mark different heights on brick or a wall. 3. Set the diet Pepsi close enough to the wall so that height can be clearly recorded. 4. Place three Mint Mentos into the eruption shooter, and fasten the shooterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s string in place to keep the candy from falling out. 5. Using the paper clip, trace the desired design onto a piece of tape and place the tape on top of the eruption shooter. Be sure that no spaces are left uncovered. 6. Open one bottle of soda and quickly secure the eruption shooter onto the nozzle of the soda. 7. Pull the string quickly as one person holds the bottle to keep it from tipping, and record the height of the eruption on paper. 8. Repeat steps 3-7 again, then with different designs, so that each design has been tested at least twice. Record all data.

Conclusion: Our results show that the more mentos added to the soda does steadily increase the height of the soda. The numbers went up at around the same, but as the more mentos were added, the numbers went up at a slower rate. The average height of 1 mento was 18 inches and the average for 2 mentos was for 32.625 inches. That is an increase of 14.625 inches. The average for 3 mentos was 46.125 inches. From 2 mentos to 3 mentos was a difference of 13.5, 1.125 less than 1 to 2. The average height for 4 mentos was 56.25. From 3 to 4 had a difference of 10.125, 3.375 less than 2 to 3. This may mean that adding more mentos will increase the height but the more and more mentos you add, the less the difference is going to be. Eventually, the numbers will increase infinitely small not making much difference. We can try this experiment using more mentos for more results to help prove this or try different sodas/mentos and still will most likely get the same results. Another experiment we can try is seeing if we get the same effect with different types of sodas/ mentos and see if they are identical or very similar. Some flaws that we may have had could be that we had conducted only 2 trials for each amount of mentos (mainly due to supply issues). 3 or 4 trials would have been much more accurate. Also, some of the sodas may have been open longer causing less accurate data. If we had timed exactly how long it was after we opened the soda we might again get better results. Endnotes: 1. How the Amount of Mentos Affects the Height of the Eruption. Matt Feldman and Alex Monte, Guilford J. Chem., 2008-2009, pp. 29-31. 2. Increased Temperature of Diet Coke and Number of Mentos Increases the Height of Mentos Eruption. Anna K., Guilford J. Chem., 20011-2012, pp. 15-16. 3. Diet Coke and Mentos: What is really behind this physical reaction? Tonya Shea Coffey. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Appalachian State University. Received 7 June 2007; accepted 5 February 2008. 4. Mint Mentos Erupt 16% Higher than Strawberry Mentos and 55% Higher than Green Apple Mentos with Diet Coke. Anny Y., Guilford J. Chem., 2011-2012, pp. 11-14. 5. The Effect of Different Sodas on the Height of a Soda and Mentos Eruption. Jacob H., Ben B., Colton S., Guilford J. Chem., 2011-2012, pp. 4-5.