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Man dissolves Coca-Cola can with drain cleaner to reveal hidden 'plastic' layer inside. Watch
A video shared on Instagram shows a man putting a half-filled Coca-Cola can into a glass of heavy-duty drain cleaner to show the ‘plastic’ layer inside it.
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A video of a man dissolving a Coca-Cola can using drain cleaner was shared on social media. Once dissolved, the man finds a thin and transparent plastic-like layer inside it. He posted the video on Instagram and wrote, "Another reason to avoid these drinks."
Instagram user Adithya Nataraj shared the video. At first, he uses sandpaper to file down the outer layer of the can. Once done, he pours out most of the beverage and carefully dips a portion of the can into a glass filled with heavy-duty drain cleaner.
Almost instantly, the can starts dissolving, and in about two minutes, the metal portion vanishes. It is then a thin ‘plastic’ layer is revealed.
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Towards the end of the video, Nataraj says, "Even though you are buying a metal can, you are still drinking from plastic. So imagine the total number of microplastics that get into your body every time you drink one of these".
In the comments section of the post, Nataraj added, "To those of you wondering about the science behind it: Soft drink cans are made from an aluminium alloy, and the drain cleaner here is a solution of NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide). These two react in an exothermic reaction, which produces a lot of heat (you can see the bubbles and fumes if you look closely). The drain cleaner (NaOH) only reacts and dissolves the aluminium and does not react with the plastic layer. This is also the reason NaOH is usually stored in plastic containers".
Why do aluminium cans have this transparent coating?
According to an article published in Medium, aluminium cans are lined with a protective cover, usually a polymer plastic lining. This layer creates a barrier between the Aluminium and the soda, preventing them from reacting. While the use of this liner in cans is common knowledge among manufacturers, it can often come as a surprise for end users.
Watch this video of the Coca-Cola can here:
The video was posted last month. Since then, it has accumulated more than 33.4 million views - and the numbers are only increasing. The share has also prompted people to post varied reactions. While some were horrified, a few tried explaining the reason behind the liner. Some also took the route of hilarity while commenting.
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What did Instagram users say about the video of the Coca-Cola can?
"Bro woke up and chose to go on a war with Coca-Cola," posted an Instagram user.
"This is so scary," added another.
"My guy acts like pretty much every other food or drink doesn't contain microplastic," joined a third.
"Very smart, man. Good job," wrote a fourth.
