Hooked on Science: Watch Red Bull and milk reaction

Add Red Bull to milk to get a unique reaction.

Materials

* Whole milk

* Red Bull

Instructions

STEP 1: Mix one cup of whole milk with one cup of Red Bull.

STEP 2: Wait five minutes and observe.

Explanation

Casein is a protein that is found in milk. Groups of casein normally float around in milk without bonding. These groupings have a negative charge, which makes them repel other groupings of casein and keeps the casein evenly dispersed in the milk. The acid in the Red Bull causes the negative charges on the casein groupings to become neutralized. Instead of pushing each other apart, the casein starts to clump together, causing the milk to curdle.

Jason Lindsey is a science outreach educator with Hooked on Science. Check out his website www.hookedonscience.org for webcasts and experiments.