Dont Eat Mentos Before or After drinking Coke or Pepsi - Facts Analysis

Story:

Do not drink coke and have mentos, the mixture will cause a chemical reaction and form cyanide causing your stomach to explode.

Other Versions

Dont eat Mentos before or after drinking Coke or Pepsi coz the person will die immediately as the mixture becomes cyanide.. Please fwd to whom u care

A mixture of Mentos and Coca cola killed two Brazilian children.

Analysis:

There have been many messages and videos like these warning not to eat Mentos before or after drinking Coke or Pepsi, especially with Diet Coke, claiming that the mixture will generate a chemical reaction forming Cyanide, which will ultimately explode your stomach. Some messages also claim that two Brazilian children died because of this adverse reaction of Mentos with Coca Cola. However, the facts are completely different.

It is a fact that when you put a Mentos in a Coke/Pepsi or any other carbonated drink bottle, like shown in some videos, it causes the soft drinks to fizz heavily. And when there is any small opening in the bottle, the pressure built up because of this fizzing can indeed shoot up the drink into air, ‘similar’ to an explosion. This happens because the Mint (Menthol) flavor of Mentos produces rapid foam and the numerous small pores on the Mentos’ surface induce the release of cardon dioxide form the soda drink, when it comes in contact with the drink. This sudden increase in surface tension of the liquid releases the fizzing carbon dioxide of carbonated drink like a rapid explosion. But the point to be noted here is, this is NOT a chemical reaction, it is simply a physical reaction. This Mentos eruption was observed to be more in case of Diet Coke, because of its brown color – the potassium benzoate, aspartame, and CO2 gas contained in the Diet Coke, which combine with the gelatin and gum arabic ingredients of the Mentos, contributing to form excess foam.

Therefore, the message saying that eating Mentos before or after drinking Coke or Pepsi causes a chemical reaction inside your body, forms cyanide or results in fatal explosion is a certain hoax. Like mentioned in the message, there were no such deaths reported. There have been many real and fake videos showing this Mentos eruption with Diet Coke and other carbonated drinks. The video above is a news report that shows how people made such explosions.

However, it is also important NOT to try and experiment this Mentos eruption effect with a handful of Mentos after drinking coca cola or pepsi, like few people have done it in the past and certainly got hurt as a result of the intense reaction. If you are doing any kind of this adventure, the intense gas and foam developed inside can gush out through your mouth in a very uncomfortable way, and it might even risk your digestive system. You might want to watch this adverse reaction in the reference section, but here is a warning again NOT to try it.