Going beyond Mentos

I'm sure I am not the only one seeing kids (and some "big" kids...) everywhere playing with Mentos and a big bottle of diet cola, some of them hacking the trick to its limit.

Mentos + Diet Cola propelled Rocket

Now, if you consider that funny, check this out.

CO₂ propelled Bucket

What you need is:

• Some dry ice.
• Some empty 1/2L bottles
• One Bucket

Fill 1/3 of the bottle with water.
Put some dry ice in it, close it tightly and leave it on the floor.
Cover the bottle with the bucket.
Run, and if it doesn't explode do not pick it up!

Now, that is fun!

How does it work?

As opposed to frozen water (wet ice), dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide which at temperatures above -78°C starts to change its state. If the pressure is under 5.1 atmospheres it doesn't melt but sublimates directly into gas, producing enough pressure to make the bottle blow.