Laura (Agnes) Yu

Phys 207

The experiment of combining diet coke with a variety of substances

(salt, Mentos, M&Ms, baking soda) causes an eruption of the soda, with
the biggest reaction being paired with Mentos. However, the reactions
from these substances are due to different causes, with Mentos/M&Ms
being the nucleation of carbon dioxide CO2, with salt causing CO2 to be
pushed out, and baking soda reacting as a base to the carbonic acid
and phosphoric acid in the soda.
Soda is carbonated due to the pressure inside the container keeping the
CO2 dissolved in the liquid. When CO2 comes in contact with the
porous surface of the Mentos, it causes the CO2 to become a gas, and
while the Mentos sinks, there is CO2 bubble formation and the pressure
pushing the soda outwards. This is due to the surface of the Mentos
acting as a nucleation site, disrupting the polar bond of water allowing
CO2 bubbles to form. Nucleation is an inherently a physical reaction,
defined as the beginning of a thermodynamic phase change (such as
liquid or crystal) at the nuclei (areas of random thermal fluctuations). In
the diet coke-Mentos case, this reaction is known as heterogeneous
nucleation, where the change of state occurs in a substance on
surfaces of contaminants (Mentos). Surfaces facilitate nucleation due to
wetting, or contact angles greater than zero encourage nucleation by
reducing the activation energy
(http://www.eng.utah.edu/~lzang/images/lecture-12.pdf). This is the
classical nucleation theory, where more surface area promotes
nucleation this is why pairing Mentos with diet coke had a more
reactive effect than M&Ms - the pores of the Mentos allow more surface
area than the smooth coating of the M&Ms. The reaction is also more
reactive due to Mentos sinking. The more dense the candy, the faster it
will sink, allowing the reaction to be faster as the CO2 gas wants to
break away from the liquid.
Meanwhile, the salt will cause the diet soda to have an eruption as well,
however, this is due to a different reaction (though I think salt could still
function as a nucleation site, but not as the main contribution to the
reaction). The salt replaces the carbon dioxide in the soda, causing the
carbon dioxide to come out of the water; this is due to the higher
solubility of salt compared to CO2. The solubility of carbon dioxide at 20
degrees Celsius at 1 atm is 0.1782 grams per 100 grams of water, while
sodium chloride, or salt, is 35.89 g/100 g of water. Solubility of strong
electrolytes (including salts and carbon dioxide) is determined by the
ionic strength, or the concentration of ions in the solution. Ions with
more charge have higher ionic strength due to stronger electrostatic
interactions it has with other ions. Since CO2 is bonded covalently and
thus shares an electron, it is harder to separate into cations and anions,
unlike NaCl, which the sodium atom gave away an electron to the
chlorine atom (ionic bond).

Laura (Agnes) Yu

Phys 207

Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is a weak base, while diet coke

contains carbonic acid and phosphoric acid. When these two are
combined, the reaction causes CO2 gas to be released. The chemical
equilibrium of the carbonic acid is:
C O2 +H 2 O H 2 C O3

+
Carbonic acid is in equilibrium with H and HC O ; adding baking
3
soda would shift the reaction to the left.
The phosphoric acid would react to baking soda by:
2+ H 2 O+C O2
HP O 4
+ HC O3
H 2 P O4
(http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/chemweek/pdf/phosphoric_acid.pdf)
Both of these reactions result in the formation of CO2 gas, resulting in a
(less dramatic) eruption.
Lastly, diet soda is the chosen carbonated beverage, as the aspartame
in diet soda lowers the surface tension of the water, allowing an easier
bubble formation and thus a bigger reaction (this also works for other
surfactants, such as detergent). From the experiment, it seems that the
Mentos reacted the best compared to salt, M&Ms, and baking soda;
however, adding an additional amount could result in just as reactive
eruption.