chemically speaking, do the molecules of any powdered milk addition cause a reaction that would make the coffee more potent? (As in, do the molecules in powdered substance react with the water in the coffee?)
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No. Powdered milk is just pasteurized milk that has been dehydrated. There are various processes used to dehydrate milk, and higher heat methods tend to change the molecular structure of the milk more significantly than lower heat methods. However, neither any compound found in milk nor any compound produced by any method of pasteurizing milk can react chemically with either water or any compound of coffee.
Milk itself is an emulsion of liquid fat molecules and dairy proteins in water. Adding dehydrated milk--aka powdered milk--to water and mixing vigorously simply recreates the emulsion. The dehydration process used to turn the milk into a powder may produce some compounds which cannot form a colloid in water and may sink. But there are no chemical reactions. Just a good ol' fashioned mixup.
R Mac
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