1:19 AM
Tanveer
Mentos Coke car distance record
But the inventors known for making a vehicle with soda-and-candy-powered propulsion say they've set a new distance record.
Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz created a single-seat rocket car powered by 54 bottles of Coke Zero and 324 Mentos.
They say the Mark II traveled 239 feet, improving upon last year's 220 feet with only half the fuel. They posted video of a 209-foot attempt online.
Voltz said Thursday they incorporated a simple piston-and-cylinder mechanism to get the vehicle moving. He says it's powerful enough that people shouldn't try the experiment at home.
Now the mad scientists seek out extraordinary experiments to carry out on ordinary house hold objects.
Grobe, the short bearded one, left Yale where he was studying mathematics, to become a circus performer. He is a professional juggler.
Voltz, the tall bald guy, was a trial lawyer in Massachusetts before he became a comedian and street performer.
This particular experinment works because of the fizz that occurs when you mix Coke and Mentos. This is down to a process called nucleation, where the carbon dioxide in the soda is attracted to the Mentos. The resulting pressure causes the soda goes flying.
The inventors built nozzles that make the opening even smaller which makes the geysers go higher.
The carbon dioxide in the soda is pressured and is looking for an escape so it's drawn to any surface that it can hold onto and start forming bubbles.
The surface of a Mentos is sprayed with over 40 microscopic layers of liquid sugar and so has many microscopic nooks and crannies on it. Huge numbers of bubbles will form around the Mentos when you drop it into a bottle of soda.
Since the candy is heavy enough to sink, they reaction continues as the mento falls to the bottom of the bottle.
The escaping bubbles turn into a foam, and the pressure casues a geyser to spurt out of the bottle
