1,500 Belgians Break Coke-And-Mentos Explosion Record

This Wednesday, about fifteen hundred Belgian students simultaneously inserted Mentos into Diet Coke bottles in Ladeuzeplein Square, instantly breaking what must be one of the world’s most obscure records, reports Natalie Paris of Britain’s Telegraph.

And, not that you care, but here’s a scientific explanation of why this works from The Disgruntled Chemist:

The reason that the soda erupts so violently from the bottle is actually twofold: a decrease of the surface tension of the soda (due to dissolving Mentos), and an increase in nucleation sites (sites where bubbles of CO 2 can form) within the bottle (due to the rough Mentos surface). Both of these factors make the carbon dioxide in the soda less likely to stay dissolved and more likely to become gaseous. The fountain effect is from all of the CO 2 going from dissolved to gaseous at once, and at a great rate.

And here’s a video of the event set, curiously, to what sounds like Jock Jams, the early 90s middle-school favorite.

The previous record holders appear to be these good Dutch folks, who set the record back in September, and also like techno and becoming Mentos marketing minions:

Link: Record Breaking Mentos and coke explosions (Telegraph)

(Thanks for the tip, Sarah!)