kids doing coke mentos experiment

Which is More Explosive?! Coke vs Mentos or Coke vs Baking Soda

The Coke and Mentos experiment has gained so much popularity in Youtube. And for sure every science teacher has utilized this in their activity or lab. Also every kid in town wants to try their hands on this. However you aside from Mentos there’s another agent that could be as powerful as mentos, that is baking soda. In this short video below will give you a definitive answer to this question. Which is More Explosive?! Coke vs Mentos or Coke vs Baking Soda

I will try to explain the science behind coke and mentos as simply as I can. Ok here it is.

  1. Normally, sodas like coke are carbonated which means they contain carbon dioxide – the fizz.
  2. These gases are squeezed in the bottle and are looking for places to attach to, and this is when they start forming bubbles. That is why, the minute it is opened they fizz out.
  3. In this case, dropping mentos into a soda provides “a lot of places” for these gases to attach to.
  4. So instead of getting defused unto the air, when you open it. The gases instead attach themselves into the surface of the mentos.
  5. They then form bubbles. Just imagine the amount of bubbles they produce, too much for the bottle to handle. And so they all burst out in a powerful explosion.
two kids amazed by coke vs mentos or coke vs baking soda experiment

From this explanation, we can see that soda and mentos explosive geyser is more of a physical reaction than a chemical one. So the more mentos dropped, the more surface area they provide for the carbon dioxide to attach to, then, the more explosive the geyser is.

What about baking soda? Which is More Explosive?! Coke vs Mentos or Coke vs Baking Soda

If a cup of baking soda is dropped into a bottle of coke, I mean, it should be insane. Baking soda must contain thousands and thousands of particles providing enormous surface area for carbon dioxide to form bubbles with. Right?

Have you watched the video? If you haven’t, please watched it now to see which gives a better result: mentos or baking soda. Have fun!!

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