NileRed

NileRed
Braun in 2026
Born
Nigel Takashi Braun

1991 (age 34–35)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
EducationMcGill University (BS)
YouTube information
Channels
Years active2014–present
GenreEducational entertainment
Subscribers10.8 million (main channel)
4.57 million (NileRed 2)
3.38 million (NileBlue)
19.4 million (combined)
Views4.52 billion (main channel)
6.06 million (NileRed 2)
476.66 million (NileBlue)
5.2 billion (combined)
Last updated: April 3, 2026
Websitenile.red
Signature

Nigel Takashi Braun, known professionally as NileRed, is a Canadian YouTuber and chemist known for his chemistry-related videos covering chemical reactions and compounds. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry with a minor in pharmacology from McGill University.

Early life

Nigel Takashi Braun was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1991, to Dorian George Braun, a sound engineer and former college professor, and Jody Kumiko Tanaka. His younger brother, Corey Seiji, helps manage his YouTube channel. Before starting a YouTube channel, Braun was a trained laboratory technician in an organic chemistry lab. He later began a master's degree program in chemistry at McGill, but left it to concentrate on the NileRed channel.

Career

Braun had been making videos, mainly tutorials, for fun since his mid-teenage years, then creating a YouTube channel on March 10, 2014. His first video was uploaded on March 24, 2014, and most of his early videos were recordings of his projects as a laboratory technician then at his parents' garage, with them later being filmed at his industrial-grade laboratory. Braun wanted his channel name, NileRed, to be related to chemistry, but not too chemical-sounding. He and one of his university colleagues looked through a book containing chemical names and started with "N" because his name began with the same letter. They settled on nile red, a compound used in biochemistry and microbiology for dyeing, because they thought it sounded good and also not like a chemical. A second channel, NileBlue, was created in 2016 to present more casual projects than the main channel, and a shorts channel, NileRed 2 (formerly NileRed Shorts), was created in 2021. He is assisted in his channel by two family members and two friends he hired.

Braun (middle) with Allen Pan (left) and Kevin Kohler (right) at Open Sauce in 2023

Some of Braun's videos were deleted in 2018 during a purge of chemistry channels. In 2019 and 2020, the web magazine Hackaday reported on Braun extracting bismuth from pepto bismol, making aerogel, and making superconductors. In 2021, The A.V. Club and Newsweek reported on a video of him dissolving a hot dog in piranha solution, which went viral.

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Result Ref.
2020 Streamy Awards Learning and Education Nominated

Notes

  1. ↑ Subscribers, broken down by channel:
    10.7 million (NileRed)
    4.57 million (NileRed 2)
    3.38 million (NileBlue)
    561,000 (NileRed Extra)
    217,000 (NileRed en Español)
  2. ↑ Views, broken down by channel:
    4.52 billion (NileRed)
    6.06 million (NileRed 2)
    476.66 million (NileBlue)
    133.48 million (NileRed Extra)
    72.14 million (NileRed en Español)

References

  1. ↑ Brotherton, Laine (February 21, 2022). "NileRed is YouTube's best chemist". The Michigan Daily. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Isai, Vjosa (August 17, 2024). "With Purple Gold and Bouncy Metal, a Canadian Chemist Shines on YouTube". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 29, 2024. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  3. ↑ Dalheim, Robert (May 5, 2021). "YouTuber makes transparent wood on his own". Woodworking Network. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Arndtsen Research Group". Arndtsen Research Group. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  5. 1 2 Krämer, Katrina (June 29, 2018). "Hobby chemists fall foul of YouTube's content purge". Chemistry World. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  6. ↑ Bai, Sam (March 2, 2022). "NileRed, a professional amateur chemist, savior of students, bane of teachers". The Saratoga Falcon. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  7. ↑ Linzel, Daniël (June 14, 2021). "Bizarre chemistry for everyone". ScienceLink. Archived from the original on September 9, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  8. ↑ Williams, Al (March 16, 2019). "Extracting Bismuth From Pepto Bismol". Hackaday. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  9. ↑ Williams, Al (April 4, 2020). "Making Aerogel, It's Not For The Faint-Hearted". Hackaday. Archived from the original on December 2, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  10. ↑ Williams, Al (August 4, 2020). "[NileRed] Makes Superconductors". Hackaday. Archived from the original on March 1, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  11. ↑ McCarter, Reid (November 9, 2021). "YouTube scientist plays with hazardous chemicals to completely dissolve a hot dog". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  12. ↑ Lea, Robert (December 20, 2021). "Video of Hot Dog Being Dissolved in Acid Mixture Viewed 10 Million Times". Newsweek. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  13. ↑ "10th Annual Streamy Nominees & Winners". The Streamy Awards. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2024.