When 7-Up was first invented, one of its ingredients was lithium salts. In fact, the fizzy drink was originally known as “Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda,” according to the Huffington Post. Of course, the mind-altering substance was removed from the drink when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration outlawed the use of the chemical in soda in 1948.
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However, the team over at Periodic Videos recently decided to test what would happen if they tried to add lithium back into 7-Up. In the clip, Sir Martyn Poliakoff, a chemistry professor at the University of Nottingham, explains what happened when his colleagues placed a piece of lithium inside a beaker containing the beverage. The mixture quickly began to heat up, boil, and change color, finally resulting in a black alkaline goo.
Watch the full video below.
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Write to Megan McCluskey at megan.mccluskey@time.com
