YouTuber Makes 10,000 Liters of Coca-Cola Explode Into Colossal Plume

Popular Russian blogger and YouTube creator Maxim Monakhov (Mamix) triggered a colossal soda plume when he dumped inordinate amounts of baking soda into a truckload of Coca-Cola contained in a vat, according to a video Mamix posted to YouTube.

RELATED: 7 AMAZING PHYSICS TRICKS THAT MAKE FOR GOOD PARTY ENTERTAINMENT

YouTuber dumps baking soda into 10,000 liters of Coca-Cola soda

Earlier this year, another person dropped a giant load of baking soda into the equivalent of 2,642 gallons (10,000 liters) of Coca-Cola. Estimated at a cost of $9,000 — a high price for a soda fountain stunt. But it garnered more than 6 million views, so it depends on the goal.

Mimax reportedly planned for years to make the stunt happen — initially inspired four years ago. "Yes, it would seem such an absurd and useless thing — but for me it means a lot," said Mimax, reports IFL Science. "My whole career is about this."

Building a vat for 10,000 liters of soda

In the video, we see his team prepare the custom-made vat, pouring thousands of Coke bottles inside. The conventional exploding-Coke viral trend typically uses Mentos as the active catalyst, Mamix and his team used baking soda instead.

This triggered a massive chemical reaction, substantially different than the one that comes from Mentos — but the apparent jet stream of soda is the same. It's also cheaper, explains Mamix in the video — knowing how to keep costs down when chasing the viral dragon.

When his team dumped the baking soda into the well of soda, the intermixing ingredients created a colossal amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas, firing the beverage into the Russian sky. This reaction happens because it brings an acidic element to a basic one on the pH scale.

When unlike chemicals meet, a YouTuber goes viral

When the two meet in the vat, hydrogen from the acid reacts with carbonate and creates an intermediate compound hydrogen carbonate that quickly breaks down into CO2 and water. The rapid abundance of CO2 forces water out of the pressurized vat, creating a volcanic explosion of soda.

Baking powder releases massive amounts of CO2 in soda

Notably, the reaction doesn't create new CO2 — it simply releases the gas already contained inside the soft drink. This is why, when we drop a family-sized bottle of soda, we think twice about opening it. Mamix took this reaction to unprecedented scales — using 2,642 gallons (10,000 liters) of soda to create the "largest chemical cola eruption in history," according to a local news channel.

And so history was made in the middle of a global pandemic when a young YouTuber decided to use the science of chemistry to create the sweetest rain the world has ever seen, from scrap metal, 2,642 gallons (10,000 liters) of Coca-Cola soda, and a lot of baking soda.