Brain sludge

The author encourages budding scientists to pour the quivering brain sludge over their hands and enjoy the sensation. But if you have any real brains, you won t do it. Actually, I have to say that, in the proper context, this is a wonderfully instructive little experiment. 

Brain sludge forms when proteins precipitate from the milk. Proteins are composed of long chains of amino acids, which are curled up into little balls called micelles. These have roughly the same density as the surrounding liquid — water — so they remain suspended. When these proteins come into contact with acids, they uncoil and stretch out. The stretched-out molecules then intertwine with each other to form globs that no longer have the same density as water, so they sink to the bottom of the tube. 

In its pure form, PCP is a white crystalline powder that easily dissolves in water to produce a clear liquid. Often, street PCP is contaminated with chemical impurities, which can change a white powder or clear liquid to tan or brown and change the consistency from powder to sludge. Purity of street PCP can range from 5% to 100%, but 100% pure PCP is considered to be extremely rare on the street. A common contaminant in PCP is a chemically related drug called PCC, which releases cyanide when burned. It does not produce enough cyanide to cause symptoms with one use, but use over time can lead to brain cell and nerve damage. 

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