Most people have seen and are familiar with the Coca-Cola and Mentos reaction, but wait until you see what happens when you combine Coke and milk. The results are both stomach churning and fascinating at the same time. First, you open a plastic bottle of Coke and then add a small amount of milk to it, being careful to leave a little space between the top of the liquid and cap.
Secure on the bottle cap and gently agitate the liquid by moving it back and forth a few times. Now the wait begins. The entire process takes about an hour but make sure to watch it at 5 or 10 minute intervals to see the change take place. When it is all done you probably will not be craving a soda anytime soon!
So what is actually happening in this mini science experiment? The process is due to a reaction of the Coke’s phosphoric acid with the milk. The phosphoric acid molecules bind to the milk which gives them a higher density and causes them to separate out and eventually sink down, while the remaining liquid from the milk and Coke, being lighter, floats to the top.
Those solid particles you see are actually curdled milk. Because the soda is more acidic than the milk it causes it to separate into curds and lumps, aka the textbook definition of what it means to curdle. To better illustrate this, Coca-Cola’s pH is between 2.5-4.5 and milk’s pH level is almost neutral (7 being neutral) at around 6.7. Thus, the Coke’s higher acid content binds to the lower milk ones and causes them to separate.
Due to Coke having such a high acid content people have been using it for years as a cleaning agent. It can take tarnish and rust off metals and even degrease car engines. Add it to your toilette to get it sparkly clean or wash your laundry with it to remove stubborn stains. Better yet, if you or a pet ever get sprayed by a skunk, just pour Coke on the stinky spots and it should smell better almost instantly. The uses for Coke are many but one is a definite no-no and that would be mixing up a Coke-milk cocktail.
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