Coke and Mentos debunk myth

Popular consumer product companies Coca Cola Singapore and Mentos have debunked this myth that people can die from drinking Coke mixed with the popular sweet Mentos.

Coca Cola said in a statement:
"A rumor has been circulating the Internet that a boy has died in Brazil from eating Mentos and drinking Coca-Cola light. This story is not true.

"This email appears to be linked to a number of amateur videos that have appeared on the Internet, which show people, for fun, mixing Mentos candies with Coca-Cola light (or Diet Coke®) to produce a reaction that causes the Diet Coke to shoot into the air. This reaction is thought to be caused by carbon dioxide (which gives carbonated soft drinks their fizz) permeating the porous surface of the Mentos."

Mentos had a similar, scientific explanation to this reaction:
"The reaction occurs because of a simple rule of physics. It is not a chemical reaction. Soda drinks contain a certain amount of CO2 (carbon dioxide) dissolved in water in the form of tiny bubbles.

"This combination of water and CO2 molecules is in a permanent instable state. When Mentos dragees fall into this liquid, this state is disturbed. The more Mentos are dropped into the liquid the more this state is aggravated.

"The reason for this lies in the surface of a Mentos which looks smooth but is actually very rough! Within the nooks and crannies of the microscopic rough surface, bubbles form, which are in turn transformed into foam, which can lead to very impressive foam fountains."