Breaking the Record

The next record was set on April 23, 2008,

Magic but real experiments
by students in the Belgian city of Leuven;
D IE T C O KE
they simultaneously launched 1,360
AND M E NTO S
Mentos geysers. Then, on May 14, 2008,
E RU PT IO N
students at Louisville Male High School in

Louisville, Kentucky, broke that record by

Gabriela Merghes student in the
setting off 1,800 simultaneous geysers. IX-th D grade at Mihai Eminescu
National High School
The current Guinness World Record —

1,911 simultaneous geysers — was set on

June 19, 2008, by students of The School of

eTwinning experiments

Business Administration Turiba in Latvia.

Experiment
This record was registered by the official
Phone:0261-759035
representative of the Guinness World Re- Fax: 0261759035
E-mail: gaby_m_dance4ever@yahoo.com

cord book. Tel: 0234-769 075

1
 Diet Coke & Mentos
Diet Coke and Mentos Eruption (also
known as a Mentos eruption or a coke
geyser) is a reaction of Diet Coke and mint
Mentos candies. The eruption is caused by
opening a bottle of Diet Coke (typically a
two liter bottle) and dropping a Mentos into
the bottle. The reaction causes the Diet
Coke to foam at a rapid rate and spew into
the air. Mint is used instead of fruit-flavor
Mentos because fruit flavored Mentos have
a smooth coating which slows the reaction.
Because of the nature of this physical
reaction and the easy availability of the
ingredients, the eruption is a popular
subject for Internet videos, and has also
appeared in non-Internet sources. A and detailed experiments about it on his
variation of this experience consists on
making the bottle rocket up by closing the
cap shortly after Mentos is inserted and,
then, slam the bottle into the ground cap
first. The explosion will generate a reaction
like the engines of a rocket.
Explanation
In a 2006 episode of MythBusters, a popular
television program on the Discovery Chan-
nel, they concluded that the caffeine,
potassium benzoate, aspartame, and CO2
gas contained in the Diet Coke and the
gelatin and gum arabic ingredients of the
Mentos all contribute to the jet effect.
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.
Steve Spangler, who first put the Mentos
Geyser in the public eye, has several videos
website. The Geyser Tube is a device
invented for use in creating the reaction.
Popularity
As noted, the eruption has become an inter-
net phenomenon. One reason for the
popularity of this demonstration is its com-
parative safety. Because the interaction
releases only the carbon dioxide already
present in the liquid, the cola bottle should
not usually rupture if capped, although it is
possible to break the bottle with physical
f o r ce . T hi s di f fe r s from si mi l a r
demonstrations with dry ice wich have the
potential to generate much larger pressures
depending on the amount used. The
Mythbusters also noted when testing the
experiment, that unlike other materials like
dry ice which are expensive and rare, Diet
Coke and Mentos can be acquired at
almost any local convenience store.
Experiment
Gabriela Merghes , student in the IX-th D Grade at Mihai
Eminescu National Highschool in Satu Mare
Phone:0261-759035
Fax: 0261759035
E-mail: gaby_m_dance4ever@yahoo.com