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2016 Warmest Year on Record

1/20/2017

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Wow, January 2017 is almost over!  Your school time is getting productive, and you probably want to get one more Class Unit finished before Winter Break!

​The book Chemistry on a Budget contains inexpensive chemistry labs that are useful with easy to obtain materials.
 
There are two versions of each lab, one with a ten-question conclusion and one with directions for a full lab report.  This way the teacher has the option!  Each lab is two pages to allow for one two-sided handout. 
 
You can buy this lab book for $23 at amazon.com or lulu.com. It will take 1-2 weeks to get to you --
Order Now.  It’s a great resource!
 
http://www.amazon.com/Chemistry-Budget-Marjorie-R-Heesemann/dp/0578129159/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389410170&sr=1-1&keywords=chemistry+on+a+budget

http://www.lulu.com/shop/marjorie-r-heesemann/chemistry-on-a-budget/paperback/product-21217600.html
 
*Some of you have already purchased my lab book – be sure to check out Page 141 !
 
 “It’s not a hoax. There’s no conspiracy. And no exaggeration. What follows are 137 years of diligently kept scientific records that show how humans are transforming Earth’s climate. The bright red line represents 2016—the third consecutive year to set a new record. The streak is the steepest and most sustained surge in planetary temperatures in the modern age.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/hottest-year-on-record/
 
“[In 2016], global warming reached record high temperatures — and if that news feels like déjà vu, you're not going crazy.
The planet has now had
three consecutive years of record-breaking heat.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has just released its annual
State of the Climate report, which says it's the hottest it has been since scientists started tracking global temperatures in 1880.
A
separate analysis, by NASA scientists, came to the same conclusion.”
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/01/18/510405739/2016-was-the-hottest-year-yet-scientists-declare
 
“Temperatures over the Earth's continents and oceans in 2016 were 1.1 degree Celsius (1.98 degrees Fahrenheit) above the pre-industrial average, according to the WMO. That means we are already a majority of the way to the 1.5-degree warming goal
set at the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015.”
http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/18/world/2016-hottest-year/
 
This article contains a brief 1 ½ minute news report dated 1/18/2017 about this recent announcement.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/01/18/u-s-scientists-officially-declare-2016-the-hottest-year-on-record-that-makes-three-in-a-row/?utm_term=.d19c5ca231c0
Below this video clip is a graph of global temperature vs. time.

“Last year’s warmth was manifested across the planet, from the warm tropical ocean waters off the coast of northeastern Australia, where the Great Barrier Reef experienced its
worst coral bleaching event on record and large scale coral death, to the Arctic, where sea ice hit regular monthly record lows and overall temperatures were also the warmest on record, at least from January through September 2016.” 
 
“Globally, 2016 edged out 1998 by +0.02 C to become the warmest year in the 38-year satellite temperature record, according to Dr. John Christy, director of the Earth System Science Center at The University of Alabama in Huntsville. Because the margin of error is about 0.10 C, this would technically be a statistical tie, with a higher probability that 2016 was warmer than 1998. The main difference was the extra warmth in the Northern Hemisphere in 2016 compared to 1998. ...

[According to Dr. Cristy,] 'The question is, does 2016's record warmth mean anything scientifically? I suppose the answer is, not really. Both 1998 and 2016 are anomalies, outliers, and in both cases we have an easily identifiable cause for that anomaly: A powerful El Niño Pacific Ocean warming event. While El Niños are natural climatic events, they also are transient. In the study of climate, we are more concerned with accurately identifying long-term temperature trends than we are with short-term spikes and dips, especially when those spikes and dips have easily identified natural causes.’ ”

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170104130257.htm

​Further student research and/or discussion could be pursued regarding this topic.

Other blog posts about increasing global temperature and climate change include:

04/03/2016         Permafrost Melting

​07/03/2016         Video: Bill Nye's Global Meltdown (2015)

12/16/2016         Cracks in Antarctic Glacier

This topic also relates to Energy and Heating/Cooling Curves – past blog posts that could be useful include:
 
03/02/2014                Heating and Cooling Curves
 
03/05/2014                Heat and Energy

03/26/2014                Vapor Pressure, BP/FP, and Molality
 
10/03/2014                Heating/Cooling Curves Revisited
 
03/04/2015                Calorimetry
 

*This Blog contains several entries that would be helpful to your chemistry classroom.  Check out the Topic List to help you to find past Blog entries.
 
Also, 
Write To Me about your successes, challenges, or questions in the Chemistry Classroom.
 

Remember, buying a copy of the lab book Chemistry on a Budget can be very useful to your Chemistry classroom with labs and class article ideas.

Have a great weekend!
​
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Contaminated Drinking Water at US Marine Camp

1/19/2017

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 Wow, you're back in business!  I hope that 2017 is going well for you and your class.
 
The book Chemistry on a Budget contains inexpensive chemistry labs that are useful with easy to obtain materials.
 
There are two versions of each lab, one with a ten-question conclusion and one with directions for a full lab report.  This way the teacher has the option!  Each lab is two pages to allow for one two-sided handout. 
 
You can buy this lab book for $23 at amazon.com or lulu.com. It will take 1-2 weeks to get to you -- Order Now.  It’s a great resource!
 
http://www.amazon.com/Chemistry-Budget-Marjorie-R-Heesemann/dp/0578129159/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389410170&sr=1-1&keywords=chemistry+on+a+budget

http://www.lulu.com/shop/marjorie-r-heesemann/chemistry-on-a-budget/paperback/product-21217600.html
 
*Some of you have already purchased my lab book – be sure to check out Page 141 !
 
According to a news report dated January 12, 2017, “[t]he Obama administration has agreed to provide disability benefits to military veterans exposed to contaminated drinking water while at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina…
Veterans, former reservists and former National Guard members who served for at least 30 days at the U.S. Marine Corps Base from 1953 to 1987 and have been diagnosed with one of eight diseases are eligible, according to the document published in the Federal Register, the government’s official journal.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/camp-lejeune-vets-tainted-water_us_5878816fe4b0e58057fe3254
“The Associated Press, which first reported the story, said the estimated cost to taxpayers of the added benefits would total $2.2 billion over five years.

The additional payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs would start in March and go to veterans who developed adult leukemia, aplastic anemia, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Parkinson’s disease, the notice said.” 
 
“After years of waiting, veterans who were exposed to contaminated drinking water while assigned to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina may now be able to receive a portion of government disability benefits totaling more than $2 billion.

Beginning in March, the cash payouts from the Department of Veterans Affairs may supplement VA health care already being provided to eligible veterans stationed at the Marine base for at least 30 cumulative days between Aug. 1, 1953, and Dec. 31, 1987. Veterans will have to submit evidence of their diagnoses and service information. …

The estimated taxpayer cost is $2.2 billion over a five-year period. The VA estimates that as many as 900,000 service members were potentially exposed to the tainted water. …

Documents uncovered by veterans groups over the years suggest Marine leaders were slow to respond when tests first found evidence of contaminated ground water at Camp Lejeune in the early 1980s. Some drinking water wells were closed in 1984 and 1985, after further testing confirmed contamination from leaking fuel tanks and an off-base dry cleaner. The Marine Corps has said the contamination was unintentional, occurring when federal law didn’t limit toxins in drinking water.”
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/u-s-pay-billions-marines-affected-contaminated-drinking-water/
 
“The new rule covers active duty, Reserve and National Guard members who developed one of eight diseases: adult leukemia, aplastic anemia, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Parkinson’s disease.

It allows veterans to qualify for government disability aid based on toxic harm sustained while at a garrison, as opposed to a battlefield. In 2015, McDonald also agreed to award disability benefits for another category of veterans who weren’t on the ground, those who had developed medical conditions after exposure to Agent Orange residue on planes used in the Vietnam War.”
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/camp-lejeune-contaminated-water-veterans-benefits/

Here is a brief news report (2.45 minutes) about this judgement, and the continuing struggle of non-military workers exposed to the carcinogens at the base:
http://www.witn.com/content/news/US-agrees-to-pay-billions-to-Camp-Lejeune-Marines-affected-by-toxic-water-410587035.html
 
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs:
“Family members of Veterans who also resided at Camp Lejeune during the qualifying period are eligible for reimbursement of out-of-pocket medical expenses related to the 15 covered health conditions. VA can only pay treatment costs that remain after payment from your other health plans.”
http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/camp-lejeune/
 
“ ‘Almost every military site in this country is seriously contaminated,’ said John D. Dingell, a soon-to-retire Michigan congressman who served in World War II. ‘Lejeune is one of many.’
These military sites form a sort of toxic archipelago across the land: Kelly Air Force Base in Texas, where the Air Force allegedly dumped trichloroethylene (TCE) into the soil, part of what some residents call a ‘toxic triangle’ in south-central Texas; McClellan Air Force Base near Sacramento, California, which includes not only fuel plumes and industrial solvents but also radioactive waste; Umatilla Chemical Depot in the plains of northern Oregon, where mustard gas and VX nerve gas were stored; Rocky Mountain Arsenal, a onetime sarin stockpile just north of Denver; the Massachusetts Military Reservation on Cape Cod, poisoned by explosives and perchlorate, a rocket fuel component that is emerging as a major Pentagon pollutant. But because Camp Lejeune’s abuses and betrayals are more flagrant, it has become a test case for whether the military can defend our soil without ruining it.”
http://www.newsweek.com/2014/07/25/us-military-supposed-protect-countrys-citizens-and-soldiers-not-poison-them-259103.html
 
“According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), two of eight water treatment plants at Camp Lejeune were found to be contaminated in a 1982 study. The Tarawa Terrace Treatment Plant was contaminated with perchloroethylene (PCE), also known as tetrachloroethylene, which was released by an off-base dry cleaning firm. For thirty years, the PCE exceeded the limit of 5 parts per billion (ppb) with maximum levels at approximately 215 ppb.
The other polluted treatment plant was Hadnot Point. Leaking underground storage tanks, waste disposal sites, and industrial area spills released trichloroethylene (TCE) as well as other contaminants into the drinking water near this site. Though the maximum contaminant limit for TCE is only 5 ppb, the maximum TCE level detected in the drinking water when tested in 1985 was 1400 ppb.”
http://www.berkeyfilters.com/blog/2012/08/22/camp-lejeune-water-contamination/
 
 “Fifteen diseases and conditions have now been associated with exposure to the water, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma; esophageal, breast, kidney, bladder and lung cancer; multiple myeloma; kidney damage; female infertility; scleroderma; leukemia; miscarriage; hepatic steatosis, a liver disease; neurological and behavioral problems; and myelodysplastic syndromes,which disrupts the production of blood cells.”
http://www.heraldnet.com/news/contaminated-water-at-camp-lejeune-linked-to-multiple-diseases/
 
“Between 1953 and 1987, nearly 1 million veterans, their families and civilian employees at Camp Lejeune were exposed to drinking and bathing water contaminated with dry cleaning chemicals, degreasers and a host of other toxins. Many base residents developed illnesses -- including rare cancers -- and disabilities in the aftermath.
According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, ‘past exposures from the 1950s through February 1985 to trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), vinyl chloride, and other contaminants in the drinking water at the Camp Lejeune likely increased the risk of cancers (kidney, multiple myeloma, leukemias, and others), adverse birth outcomes, and other adverse health effects of residents (including infants and children), civilian workers, Marines and Naval personnel at Camp Lejeune.’ “
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/04/27/vets-hit-va-with-federal-lawsuit-over-camp-lejeune-water-poisoning.html
 

Here is a “Dan Rather Reports” 20 minute news segment about the Camp Lejeune.  This report aired 10/16/2008, eight years before the decision to provide disability benefits to those who served and their families totaling more than $2 billion.
  ​
There are several stories continuing reports on the water issue at Camp LeJeune:
https://wn.com/dan_rather_reports_camp_lejeune_toxic_water_part_1
 
This situation could inspire research and/or discussion amongst your students, and/or provide an extension to the importance of Water.
 
Past blog posts involving the topic of Water include:
03/19/2014                  Properties of Solutions
03/23/2014                  Molarity
03/26/2014                  Vapor Pressure, BP/FP, and Molality
04/15/2015                  Solubility Curves
10/08/2015                  Current Event - Contaminated
                                       Drinking Water​
 

*This Blog contains several entries that would be helpful to your chemistry classroom.  Check out the Topic List to help you to find past Blog entries.
 
Also, 
Write To Me about your successes, challenges, or questions in the Chemistry Classroom.
 

Remember, buying a copy of the lab book Chemistry on a Budget can be very useful to your Chemistry classroom with labs and class article ideas.

Have a great weekend!
​
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America's first offshore windfarm

1/12/2017

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You’re probably headed toward end of unit exams or midterms.  As reported last week, a post that might help is dated 01/04/2015 and titled “Midterm Examinations”.
 

The book Chemistry on a Budget contains inexpensive chemistry labs that are useful with easy to obtain materials.
 
There are two versions of each lab, one with a ten-question conclusion and one with directions for a full lab report.  This way the teacher has the option!  Each lab is two pages to allow for one two-sided handout. 
 
You can buy this lab book for $23 at amazon.com or lulu.com. It will take 1-2 weeks to get to you --
Order Now.  It’s a great resource!
 
http://www.amazon.com/Chemistry-Budget-Marjorie-R-Heesemann/dp/0578129159/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389410170&sr=1-1&keywords=chemistry+on+a+budget

http://www.lulu.com/shop/marjorie-r-heesemann/chemistry-on-a-budget/paperback/product-21217600.html
 
*Some of you have already purchased my lab book – be sure to check out Page 141 !
 
 “For the past 80 years, a noisy, dirty diesel generator...has supplied electric power for Block Island's thousand residents off Rhode Island. Now that generator could be turned off courtesy of Deepwater Wind’s five 6-megawatt turbines, which spun into commercial operation just off the coast [on 12/12/2016]…The project will completely power Block Island, with excess energy transmitted by undersea cable to the mainland.”

http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/green-life/united-states-first-offshore-wind-farm-powers
 
“The Block Island Wind Farm is located off the cost of Rhode Island and is a 30 megawatt, five turbine installation. A submarine transmission cable system is linking the energy produced by the wind farm to the grid, offshore developer Deepwater Wind said on Monday.”

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/13/americas-first-offshore-wind-farm-is-up-and-running.html
 
“By global standards, the
Block Island Wind Farm is a tiny project, just five turbines capable of powering about 17,000 homes. Yet many people are hoping its completion, with the final blade bolted into place at the end of last week, will mark the start of a new American industry, one that could eventually make a huge contribution to reducing the nation’s climate-changing pollution.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/23/science/americas-first-offshore-wind-farm-may-power-up-a-new-industry.html?_r=0
 
“Forty percent of Denmark's energy comes from wind electricity, and England's impressive offshore
London Array can generate 630 MW of electricity. China's largest offshore wind farm can generate 202 MW. Comparatively, Block Island will only 30 MW, meant to service the tiny island of a thousand people and the tourists who flock there for a 4th of July parade in the summer.”
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/infrastructure/a24273/americas-first-offshore-wind-farm-set-to-open/
 
“Tens of thousands of wind turbines
already dot Texas, Iowa and other states, accounting for about 5 percent of the nation’s energy generation. Building these structures on land is cheaper and simpler, but the ocean provides stronger and more reliable winds, and the larger turbines there can, in theory, harness vast amounts of energy.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/the-nations-first-offshore-wind-farm-is-ready-to-go-despite-critics-blow-back/2016/08/27/7a43c6d6-693f-11e6-99bf-f0cf3a6449a6_story.html?utm_term=.6d2ed99bbe50
 
Here is a 2 minute NBC news report from 11/13/2016 that presents the pros and cons of the offshore wind farm in Block Island, Rhode Island:

http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/nations-first-offshore-wind-farm-to-debut-808053827597
 
From the website of the company headlining this project:
“Deepwater Wind is proud to be America’s leading offshore wind developer.  The company’s path breaking Block Island Wind Farm is the first in the nation. Led by a veteran management team with experience in developing complex energy projects worldwide, Deepwater Wind is making offshore wind in America a reality.
Headquartered in Providence, RI, we are actively planning offshore wind projects to serve multiple East Coast markets located 15 or more miles offshore, including New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland, and New Jersey.”

http://dwwind.com/about/
 
A similar project called “Cape Wind” was being developed in Massachusetts:

https://www.capewind.org/
 
“Cape Wind, a 130-turbine offshore wind farm planned five miles to the north off the coast of Massachusetts, was supposed to be the first in the country. That project was proposed in 2001 ― but
for numerous reasons, has never actually gotten started and probably never will. Cape Wind’s struggles provided an instructive example of what not to do for Deepwater Wind, the Providence-based developer behind Block Island farm.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/deepwater-offshore-wind-farm_us_581a311fe4b0c43e6c1d9715
 
Here is a longer, 10-minute report by PBS providing a detailed presentation of the Block Island wind farm opening:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/u-s-builds-first-offshore-wind-plant/
 
How does the motion energy (such as a windmill turning) get converted into electrical energy?
 
“If a coil of wire is placed in a changing magnetic field, a current will be induced in the wire.  This current flows because something is producing an electric field that forces the charges around the wire.  (It cannot be the magnetic force since the charges are not initially moving).  This "something" is called an
electromotive force, or emf, even though it is not a force.  Instead, emf is like the voltage provided by a battery.  A changing magnetic field through a coil of wire therefore must induce an emf in the coil which in turn causes current to flow.”
http://www.rpi.edu/dept/phys/ScIT/InformationStorage/faraday/magnetism_a.html
 
“In an [alternating current] AC generator, the direction in which charge flows depends upon the direction in which the magnet moves in relation to the coil. Because generators use a rotating electromagnet, the poles of the electromagnet alternate between moving toward and moving away from themagnet. The result is a current that reverses with each half-rotation of the coil.”

http://www.classzone.com/science_book/mls_grade7_FL/427_431.pdf
 
My super-simple explanation of the conversion of motion energy to electrical energy is:
When a magnet is moved perpendicularly through a loop of wire, a motion of electrons is observed (electricity).  An electric generator is a back and forth motion through the wire loop that produces an alternating current (AC) that is available for use. 
 
This is an interesting development of the United States expanding its exploration of renewable energy sources.
 
Talking about energy, past blog posts that would be useful:
​
03/02/2014        Heating and Cooling Curves

03/05/2014        Heat and Energy

03/30/2014        Reaction Rates (includes Potential Energy
                             Diagram video & worksheets)
 

*This Blog contains several entries that would be helpful to your chemistry classroom.  Check out the Topic List to help you to find past Blog entries.
 
Also, 
Write To Me about your successes, challenges, or questions in the Chemistry Classroom.
 

Remember, buying a copy of the lab book Chemistry on a Budget can be very useful to your Chemistry classroom with labs and class article ideas.

Have a great weekend!
​
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Pest Control Creates Lethal Gas

1/4/2017

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Welcome to 2017!  I hope you had a restful vacation and are energized for the next few months. 
 
The book Chemistry on a Budget contains inexpensive chemistry labs that are useful with easy to obtain materials.
 
There are two versions of each lab, one with a ten-question conclusion and one with directions for a full lab report.  This way the teacher has the option!  Each lab is two pages to allow for one two-sided handout. 
 
You can buy this lab book for $23 at amazon.com or lulu.com. It will take 1-2 weeks to get to you -- Order Now.  It’s a great resource!
 
http://www.amazon.com/Chemistry-Budget-Marjorie-R-Heesemann/dp/0578129159/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389410170&sr=1-1&keywords=chemistry+on+a+budget

http://www.lulu.com/shop/marjorie-r-heesemann/chemistry-on-a-budget/paperback/product-21217600.html
 
*Some of you have already purchased my lab book – be sure to check out Page 141 !
 
One post that might help some of you right now  is dated  01/04/2015 and titled “Midterm Examinations” .

A recent tragic event occurred on Tuesday, 1/3/17: 

“A Texas woman was in critical condition Tuesday [1/3/17] following an accidental poisoning at her home that killed four of her children and sickened five other family members, hospital and fire officials said.

Crews who responded to a 5 a.m. call to the home on Monday originally thought it was related to carbon monoxide [CO] poisoning, but authorities later determined that phosphine gas [PH3] was likely released when a family member used water to wash away pesticide pellets he had placed under the mobile home. One child died at the scene and three others died at a hospital. ... [A]luminum phosphide [AlP] is often used as a fumigant to get rid of pests like gophers and mice. 

When aluminum phosphide is mixed with any moisture, it produces a toxic phosphine gas, which is what took the lives of the four kids. Officials said a resident of the east Amarillo home was trying to kill mice and placed the pesticide underneath their home, then applied water.”
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/amarillo-texas-mom-critical-accidental-poisoning-kills-four-kids/


Here is an overview of the chemical Phosphine (PH3) as well as it’s sources and uses:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphine

“They were already getting an odor and they were trying to suppress the vapors. He didn’t know enough about the chemical,” said Amarillo Fire Department Lieutenant Josh Whitney. ‘The chemical is only sold to people that have a license to apply it, and he got this black market. He applied it yesterday, and then so over the night is whenever all the toxic gasses were leeching to inside the house.’

Aluminum phosphide is so strong it is classified as a ‘restricted use’ pesticide and is only supposed to be sold to licensed professionals. “
 
In most uses, diluting a substance with water cleans away the substance and reduces its dangerous properties.  This was not an appropriate treatment of this chemical and had fatal effects.
 
“Aluminum Phosphide [AlP] is so strong it is commonly referred to as a ‘restricted use’ pesticide. …when inhaled, it attacks the respiratory system. And if someone is lucky enough to survive inhalation, they will likely experience long term health issues.”
http://www.newschannel10.com/story/34167093/toxic-gas-that-killed-4-children-derived-from-restricted-use-pesticide
This article provides a 2 minute video provides a brief discussion of aluminum phosphide, a “restricted use” chemical.

 
“After someone applied the pesticide -- aluminum phosphide -- under the mobile home, a family member tried to wash it away, said Capt. Larry Davis of the Amarillo Fire Department.
But aluminum phosphide mixed with water creates toxic phosphine gas, which can cause excess fluid in the lungs and respiratory failure.“
http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/03/health/texas-pesticide-deaths/index.html
 
“Phosphine is used as an insecticide and rodenticide. It is available as aluminum phosphide or other salts in tablets, pellets and powder in bags. These are usually referred to as phosphine generators in which the salts are exposed to moisture in the air, and phosphine gas is then released.”
http://www.kumed.com/~/media/Imported/kumed/documents/phosphine.ashx?la=en
 
 “CHEMICAL DANGERS [of Aluminum Phosphide, AlP]:
The substance decomposes on contact with water , moist air and acids producing highly flammable and toxic gases (phosphine, see ICSC 0694).”
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ipcsneng/neng0472.html
 
“Phosphine is a colorless gas with a disagreeable odor of fish or garlic. Boiling point -126°F; freezing point -209°F. Very toxic by inhalation at extremely low concentrations. Prolonged heating may cause containers to rupture violently and rocket. Rate of onset: Immediate & Delayed (Lungs) Persistence: Minutes - hours Odor threshold: 0.9 ppm Source/use/other hazard: Insecticide; used in manufacture of flame retardants and incendiaries.”
https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/phosphine
 
I only post about this tragedy to remind teachers and students to read and apply the guidelines in the [Safety Data Sheet or] SDS.
 
“The Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) (29 CFR 1910.1200(g)), revised in 2012, requires that the chemical manufacturer, distributor, or importer provide Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) (formerly MSDSs or Material Safety Data Sheets) for each hazardous chemical to downstream users to communicate information on these hazards. The information contained in the SDS is largely the same as the MSDS, except now the SDSs are required to be presented in a consistent user-friendly, 16-section format. This brief provides guidance to help workers who handle hazardous chemicals to become familiar with the format and understand the contents of the SDSs.”
https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3514.html
 
“[A] Safety Data Sheet, SDS, is designed to provide both workers and emergency personnel with the proper procedures for handling or working with a particular substance. SDS's include information such as physical data (melting point, boiling point, flash point etc.), toxicity, health effects, first aid, reactivity, storage, disposal, protective equipment, spill/leak procedures, and more. While SDS's are of particular use if a spill or other accident occurs, they are key to preventing workplace exposure and accidents and should always be consulted before working with a material or developing a new process. In fact, this is how employers generally meet their mandatory employee information and training obligation under the HazCom Standard.”
http://www.ilpi.com/msds/faq/parta.html#whatis
 
At this site you can view the format of Safety Data Sheets (SDS):
http://www.hsa.ie/eng/Publications_and_Forms/Publications/Information_Sheets/Safety_Data_Sheet_SDS_Information_Sheet.html
​
*This Blog contains several entries that would be helpful to your chemistry classroom.  Check out the Topic List to help you to find past Blog entries.
 
Also, Write To Me about your successes, challenges, or questions in the Chemistry Classroom.
 
Remember, buying a copy of the lab book Chemistry on a Budget can be very useful to your Chemistry classroom with labs and class article ideas.

Have a great weekend!


0 Comments

    Author

    Marjorie R. Heesemann is a chemistry teacher with 15 years of experience who is now working to develop resources for the Chemistry classroom.

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