Hooked on Science: Create some plastic milk

We're told to drink it so our bones will be strong, but did you know you can make plastic out of milk?

Ingredients

Skim milk

Vinegar

Microwave

Bowl

Strainer

Instructions

STEP 1: Add 4 teaspoons of white vinegar to 1 1/2 cups of skim milk and microwave the mixture for about a minute.

STEP 2: The milk and vinegar will be separated into a liquid and a solid. Stir the milk and the curds will become a "blob."

STEP 3: Strain the liquid off and make the blob into one big lump.

Explanation

The vinegar reacts with the casein in the milk to create plastic.

Jason Lindsey is a Science Outreach Educator for the Bootheel Youth Museum. Check out his Web site "Hooked On Science" at hookedonscience.org for webcasts and experiments that might get you hooked on science. Send him your science questions at jlindsey@bootheelyouthmuseum.org. More science experiments can be found at www.semissourian.com.