These Guys Built A Rocket Using Nothing But Butane And A Coke Bottle
You shouldn’t try this at home. Playing with butane gas is never a good idea. Butane gas is extremely flammable — its primary use is to start fires. If not used in a well-ventilated area, butane gas could blow up your house. If you try this and send it to us, we will not acknowledge your existence.
Thanks to the dozens of previously attempted experiments found on the Internet, it’s become public knowledge that if you top off a half-full Coca-Cola bottle with butane gas, and then flip the bottle, a spontaneous reaction occurs that causes the bottle to take off like a rocket.
It’s pretty damn incredible. But also dangerous. It’s especially dangerous to attempt any type of science experiment without wearing protective eyewear, which these guys did not use. It’s dumb. But also entertaining. Sort of.
So, now that the cat’s out of the bag, let’s explain the context of this experiment.
Butane has a boiling point of 0° Fahrenheit — for perspective, water boils around 210°Fahrenheit. Since butane is stored in metallic containers under extremely high pressure, it becomes liquid once the valve is pressed.
Liquid butane is not soluble, meaning it doesn’t dissolve. It will sit on the top layer of the Coca-Cola. Once mixed, the soda causes the butane to try and escape the bottle rapidly — creating a propulsion effect.
Ironically, this isn’t a chemical reaction — it’s actually the exact opposite. The butane doesn’t mix with the soda, so it literally turns to gas and evaporates. Chemical reactions occur when two substances combine.
The final product, however, does not leave the viewer disappointed. If you’ve never seen this experiment before, it definitely has some shock value.
What’s even better, is that we might have actually learned something out of such hijinks.
