Very nice, but...
I always thought that the rough surface (relatively speaking) of the mints provides nucleation points for the under-pressure CO2. It's a bit like those special lager glasses that have rough sintered glass at the bottom - they keep the beer constantly fizzy by providing nucleation points. You'd get the same effect by dropping sand in, which has no trapped air, but provides nucleation.
I'll go away now.
(, Thu 22 Jan 2009, 17:47, Reply)
As I understand it it's a combination of both
As she says, bubbles can form on a surface (nucleation sites), but existing bubbles (such as those you would find in the rough surface of a mint) are exceptionally good at seeding new bubbles.
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TheAlmightyBeev, Thu 22 Jan 2009, 17:56,
Reply)
Fair do's
I've been involved in a project to keep CO2 in solution (in carbonated drinks) even under low pressure. There's chemical as well as physical ways to do it, and it's all surface-tension related.
(, Thu 22 Jan 2009, 18:02, Reply)
