I’ve got a basic level of understanding about temperature and particles (think high school physics/chemistry), but I’m intrigued as to why dropping ice into a room temperature fizzy drink can make it fizz so much it overflows its container
In: Chemistry
The bubbles can’t form on their own, they need a little pocket to start the formation in. These pockets are called nucleation sites. Adding the ice introduces more of those, and mentos do as well, if you are familiar with “diet coke and mentos”
The reason you notice is more in room temperature soda, rather than cold soda is because the solubility of gas decreases in a warmer liquid, so the CO2 is more ready to become a bubble in warm soda rather than cold soda.
It’s cause you’re introducing more ‘nucleation’ sites for bubbles to form.
If you were to pour a fizzy drink into a perfectly smooth glass, you’d get no bubbles at all cause there’s no wee imperfections for bubbles to form on.
This is why adding mentos to coke makes it fizz massively, Mentos are covered in little bubble sized pockets for fizz to form.
Ice is the same, it’s not the fact it’s cold. It’s the fact it’s rough and imperfect.
And why does it recede faster when I stick a finger in the fizz?
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