Rainbow Pop and Mentos Experiment
Have your kids experience a mind-blowing experiment using soda and Mentos with a colorful twist.
Equipment
- Fanta Orange Soda, Berry, Grape, Strawberry, Pina Colada, Pineapple Variety Pack, 20 Oz Bottles (Pack of 8, Total of 160 Oz)
- Mentos Chewy Mint Candy Roll, Mint, Non Melting, Party, 14 Pieces (Bulk Pack of 15) - Packaging May Vary
- Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, 16 oz (3 Pack)
Ingredients
- five or more or less! 2L bottles of Fanta (in 5 different colors/flavors)
- one package of Mentos candy per bottle of Fanta 5 bottles = 5 packages!
- ¼ cup of baking soda per bottle 5 bottles = 1¼ cups of baking soda
- ¼ cup of vinegar per bottle 5 bottles = 1¼ cups of vinegar
- ¼ cup of clear dishwashing liquid per bottle 5 bottles = 1¼ cups of dishwashing soap
- 2 plastic party cups per bottle 5 bottles = 10 cups
- level washable surface (ie. laundry basket, small table with plastic table cloth, etc)
- large outdoor area
- video camera for replay
Instructions
- First, set up your video camera (or smartphone) so you can record the results and watch them later. You can use a tripod or have someone else hold the camera.
- Set up your cups on your level surface — 2 per bottle of Fanta. So if you’re using 5 bottles, you’ll need 10 cups.
- For half the cups, open one package of Mentos candy per cup and pour in. For five cups, you’ll need 5 packages of candy, with one package’s worth in each cup.
- Add ¼ cup of baking soda to each cup of candy. Set aside.
- In the other half of the cups, pour equal amounts of Fanta. Use one flavor per cup. For five cups, you’ll need five flavors.
- Add ¼ cup of dishwashing liquid soap to each cup of pop.
- Add ¼ cup of vinegar to each cup of pop and soap.
- If you’re using, add in a few drops of matching-color food coloring to each cup (ie red food coloring to red Fanta). More food coloring means a more vivid experiment.
- When you’re ready, quickly add 1 cup of candy & baking soda mix to one cup of pop/soap/vinegar mix. Repeat for each pair, as fast as you can.
- Step back and watch the rainbow pop and Mentos experiment go!
Notes
1. Measurements for dishwashing soap, baking soda, and vinegar are approximate only.
2. You should see a shooting spray of bubbly, colored liquid come from each cup. It’s like a messy, liquid version of fireworks!
3. Try experimenting with different amounts of baking soda, vinegar, dishwashing soap, pop, and Mentos. What changes? Compare the reactions. Which ingredient do you think makes the biggest difference?