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Cost of Nuclear Shutdown in germany

7/31/2016

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Wow, we’re almost in August! Your mind may be thinking about the coming 2016-2017 school year already.  The book Chemistry on a Budget contains inexpensive chemistry labs that are useful, especially at the beginning of your school year. 
 
Some of the early labs include Significant Figures, Density (3 labs), the Separation of a Mixture  (including Percent Composition), and Liquid Chromatography.  This way you have pretty safe labs that cover essential information, giving you time to emphasize Lab Safety and get Lab Safety Contracts signed.
 
You can buy this lab book for $23 at amazon.com or lulu.com. It will take 1-2 weeks to get to you, so Order Now and you’ll have time with it and decide how to incorporate the labs into your class activities.
 
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
 
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. 
 
*Some of you have already purchased my lab book – be sure to check out Page 141 !
 
Nuclear energy and concerns about nuclear waste have been the subject of several posts of this blog, including:
 
02/11/2015            Introduction to Nuclear Chemistry
02/18/2015            Nuclear Chemistry – Part II (Fission, Fusion & Half-Life)
08/06/2015            Post-Fukushima Restarts
10/30/2015            Current Event -- Radioactive Waste from WWII
10/22/2015            The Future of Nuclear Fusion​
02/20/2016            Nuclear Waste and Lake Huron
03/26/2016            Nuclear Waste Storage
05/01/2016            30th Anniversary of Chernobyl  
 
According to an article dated 6/29/2015, “…after Germany's decision to phase out nuclear power completely [on June 30, 2011], the country's oldest remaining reactor has been shut down. But is Germany's nuclear phase-out on track - and what obstacles does it face?”
http://www.dw.com/en/how-far-along-is-germanys-nuclear-phase-out/a-18547065
“Immediately after [the nuclear accident in] Fukushima [Japan], eight of 17 functioning nuclear plants were shut down [in Germany], and the June decision established a timeline of taking the remaining plants offline by 2022.”
 
The following article provides a useful timeline regarding the events (and nuclear accidents) that preceded the decision to close Germany’s nuclear power plants.”
https://www.cleanenergywire.org/factsheets/history-behind-germanys-nuclear-phase-out

According to an article published July 25, 2016, Germany is discovering another challenge due to closing 17 nuclear power reactors, “[h]ow to clean up and store large amounts of nuclear waste and other radioactive material.”http://e360.yale.edu/feature/soaring_cost_german_nuclear_shutdown/3019/
“Nobody can say how much it will cost to store high-level waste. What we know is that it will be very costly – much higher costs can be expected than [what] the German ministry calculates...”
“NUKEM is a member of a consortium led by Westinghouse Electric Company and includes Gesellschaft für Nuklear Service (GNS). In September 2015, the group was awarded the contract to dismantle the Reactor Pressure Vessels and internals (RPV-I) of the 890 MW unit 1 at the Philippsburg BWR plant operated by EnBW Kernkraft.
The industry is focusing on minimizing the transportation of plant material across the country... The vast volume of waste which accumulates at a site currently requires a fleet of trucks making multiple journeys while carrying several tonnes of potentially hazardous material.
NUKEM is developing a mobile melter that would reduce the amount of waste taken from the plant to treatment and disposal centres and subsequently minimize the risk of a traffic accident that could expose the public to radioactive substances.”
http://analysis.nuclearenergyinsider.com/germany-upgrades-technology-curb-cost-fleet-shutdown
 
It is interesting to observe what occurs with Germany’s nuclear shutdown as the United States, a much larger country, will have to deal to shutdown of nuclear power plants and nuclear storage during the 21st century.
 
*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.

Keep having a Great Summer!
​
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order lab book -- now!

7/24/2016

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Wow, we’re in the downhill of the summer!  There’s still plenty of time left to relax, travel, get stuff done.  Enjoy your time!
 
The book
Chemistry on a Budget contains inexpensive chemistry labs that are useful, especially at the beginning of your school year. 
 
Some of the early labs  include Significant Figures, Density (3 labs), the Separation of a Mixture  (including Percent Composition), and Liquid Chromatography.  This way you have pretty safe labs that cover essential information, giving you time to emphasize Lab Safety and get Lab Safety Contracts signed. 
 
You can buy this lab book for $23 at amazon.com or lulu.com. It will take 1-2 weeks to get to you, so
Order Now and you’ll have time with it and decide how to incorporate the labs into your class activities.
 

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
 
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. 
 

*Some of you have already purchased my lab book – be sure to check out Page 141 !
 
*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.

I hope you're still having a Great Summer!

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video: ancient navies

7/16/2016

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I hope you’re enjoying your summer vacation, and perhaps investigating various teaching techniques and videos you didn’t have time for during the school year!
 
The book
Chemistry on a Budget contains inexpensive chemistry labs that could be useful.  You can buy this lab book for $23 at amazon.com or lulu.com. Check it out!
 

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
 
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. 
 

It will take a week or so to get to you.
 
*Some of you have purchased my lab book – be sure to check out Page 141 !
 
The
Ancient Discoveries series on the Military History Channel presented a one-hour segment titled “Ancient Navies” (02/04/2008).  An interesting movie, it can be handy for sub-plans.  To keep students on task, they can be required to report 10 facts from the video.
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHRcQvWM0m8
 
Since this movie is sixty minutes, you may want to show it in 2 thirty-minute segments.
 

There are interesting chemical reactions examined as part of the warfare of the ships (some relating to explosions).  The 2nd half of “Ancient Navies” discusses deep-water diving and can be good for pointing out the Gas Laws involved (pressure and volume of gas as well as gas pressure underwater). 
 

*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.


I hope your July is going well!
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demonstration: bond polarity

7/10/2016

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Ah, we’re further into this summer vacation – I hope you have a chance to relax and recharge!
 
The book
Chemistry on a Budget contains inexpensive chemistry labs that could be useful.  You can buy this lab book for $23 at amazon.com or lulu.com. Check it out!
 

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
 
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. 
 

It will take a week or so to get to you.
 
*Some of you have purchased my lab book – be sure to check out Page 141 !
 
In visualizing atoms and the electrons involved in Bonding, animations and simulations are useful in aiding your students to grasp various concepts.
 
A simple demonstration to aid in
visualizing molecular bond polarity involves:
-two jump ropes (5-6’ each, available in most toy stores)
-a manila folder (a piece of construction or regular paper would be sufficient)
-2 student volunteers
 
Tie the two jump ropes together.  Label the folder “e-  e-“ with large letters, maybe a bright color – this will represent the pair of electrons in the bond.
 

Each of the two students will hold an end of each jump rope so that it is stretched flat in the air, similar to a tight rope.  The folder can be placed hanging on the jump rope and the teacher can move it back and forth in a discussion of Polar and Nonpolar Covalent bonds.
 
Student access to a
chart of electronegativities is useful for practicing prediction of polarity.
Here is one example:
 http://www.gpb.org/files/pdfs/gpbclassroom/chemistry/tableOfElectronNeg.pdf

 You could present the students with various combinations and they predict the polarity of the bonds using electronegativites.  Present an example, and a student with an answer places the electron pair (folder) on the bond (jump rope).
 
Here is a worksheet you could use as a guide:

http://teacherweb.com/CAD/KennedyCollegiateInstitute/MrsSood/Electronegativity-handout.pdf

I know that this is simple, but this gets the students involved and active in the chemistry content being presented.
 
Past blog posts that you may find helpful include:
-
Lewis Structures and VSEPR Theory on 03/09/2014
-
Polarity and Intermolecular Forces on 03/12/2014
-
VSEPR Theory Labs & Resources on 03/19/2015
 

*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.


Enjoy the best of July!

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video: bill Nye's global meltdown

7/3/2016

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 I hope you are enjoying the summer, and at least getting a little rest!  I apologize for the delay in this blog post -- hopefully you had a chance to view past entries!
 
The book
Chemistry on a Budget contains inexpensive chemistry labs that could be useful in your classroom.  You can buy this lab book for $23 at amazon.com or lulu.com. Check it out!
 

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
 
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 a single two-sided handout. 
 

It will take a week or so to get to you.
 
*Some of you have already purchased my lab book – be sure to check out Page 141 !
 
 “Bill Nye’s Global Meltdown” on National Geographic’s
Explorer (2015) is a 45 minute examination of global climate change.
 
Bill Nye discusses issues of climate change while undergoing therapy with the 'Dr.' Arnold Schwarzenegger -- with some cute references to his movies.
This movie uses the 5 stages of grief as a framework: 
These are:
1.Denial
2.Anger
3.Bargaining
4.Depression
5.Acceptance
And one more is added:
6.Hope
 
You can view the video online:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29Xv_npmS6E
 
The DVD contains
Special Features including “5 Things  You Need to Know About Climate Change” and a “Bill Nye Q&A”.
 
Here is the National Geographic webpage:

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/explorer/episodes/explorer-bill-nyes-global-meltdown/
I had difficulty viewing the video at this site.
 
Global Climate Change is an issue your students will be dealing with in some way most of their lives.  Climate change could impact them various ways such as:

1. increased living costs
2. disaster such as fire or flood
3. new technologies
4. voting about the choices our government makes to deal with global climate change
 

Because this movie is only 45 minutes, it can be handy for sub-plans.  To keep students on task, they can be required to report 2 facts for each of 5 “stages of grief” reported (2 x 5 = 10) and a bonus fact for the additional 6th.
 
*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.


Happy July 4th!
​
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    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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