snowmen

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It’s been a while back, but I promised to try the always-fun magic milk experiment with homo milk or cream. So here’s a post about a magic creamer color experiment.

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Supplies Collected

Collected in this winter-themed version is:

• snowman cake pan
• half-and-half (10% milk fat) creamer
• red, yellow, and blue food coloring
• liquid dish soap

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The Magic Creamer Color Experiment

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To perform this easy science experiment, pour a layer of half and half (10% milk fat) creamer into a cake pan or small bin. My pick for this experiment is a snowman cake pan. It is medium-sized and fits the amount of liquid I have on hand.

Note: Half and half cream is equal parts whole milk and light cream. It isn’t near as creamy as whipping cream but is creamier than the milk I’ve featured in past experiments. It is commonly used as a coffee creamer.

Next, add drops of red, yellow, and blue food coloring around the pan.

Then add drops of liquid dish soap onto some of the food coloring patches. The colors will immediately swirl around and make new color designs.

Close up, the color changes look super stunning.

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After the color movement slows down, check back occasionally and you will see new color patterns immerge. The color designs will keep changing for at least half an hour.

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At this time, try adding a few more drops of food coloring. I try to make a snowman face and buttons.

Add more dish detergent drops and watch the colors move and change again.

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Interpreting This Color-Changing Science Experiment

Although half-and-half (10% milk fat) creamer is made of a significant amount of water, it also contains fat and protein. These are both sensitive to changes in the liquid. When dish soap is added to the pan, it breaks up the surface tension of the half-and-half liquid and is attracted to the fat molecules. The fat molecules try to scurry away but end up bonding with the soap molecules. The movement of the food coloring makes this process visible. As more and more soap and fat molecules bond, the color movement slows down and eventually stops.

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Fat content in the half-and-half creamy liquid is super important in this science experiment.

The colors in the half-and-half coffee creamer experiment move at a slightly slower rate than 2% or 1 % milk, both of which I’ve tried successfully before. All three liquids show stunning color-swirling results.

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Related:

Color Explosion Science Experiment

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