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Nuclear Power Plant Closure

10/27/2016

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 October is almost over -- you are ending the first quarter marking period or just have finished.  Congratulations!
 
The book Chemistry on a Budget contains inexpensive chemistry labs that are useful with easy to obtain materials.
 
The early labs include the topics of Significant Figures, Density (3 labs), the Separation of a Mixture (including coverage of Percent Composition), and Liquid Chromatography.  These are safe labs that cover essential information, giving you time to emphasize Lab Safety and get Lab Safety Contracts signed.
 
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 !
 
As stated previously, Mole Day was October 23 (10/23).  You may want to start introducing Mole math.
 
Past Mole posts include:
 
01/10/2014            2nd Entry (Mole Conversions and
                                  Moletown Map)
 
10/20/2014            Celebrating Mole Day
 
10/15/2015            Mole Mathematics​
 
10/15/2016            Mole Day is Coming!
 
There are several labs in Chemistry on a Budget about The Mole Concept including “Catching Moles”, “Moles in Your Name?”, and beginning Stoichiometry with “A Chemical Reaction”.
 
From Oct 23, 2016:
“The Omaha Public Power District's board decided earlier this year that the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant is no longer financially sustainable.
But the shutdown is only one of the first steps of a decommissioning process that could stretch on for as many as 60 years and cost more than $1 billion.
During that process, the utility will have to decontaminate and disassemble elements of the power plant.
The nuclear plant sits on the Missouri River across from Iowa and is about 15 miles north of Omaha[, Nebraska].”
http://www.wgem.com/story/33455971/nebraska-utility-permanently-closing-fort-calhoun-nuke-plant
 
“The Fort Calhoun plant cranked out electricity for 43 years, and it was licensed for another 17. Decommissioning will cost up to $1.5 billion, and take up to 60 years to complete. …eating all of that is cheaper than keeping the plant in production. …

Across the U.S. demand [for nuclear power] has been flat for a decade. New capacity drives down the price. Nuclear power, with its stiff regulations and fixed expenses, can have a hard time competing. …

Nuclear waste is a big part of nuclear energy and when these plants go offline, something has to be done with it, but what?”
http://www.npr.org/2016/10/24/498842677/waste-families-left-behind-as-nuclear-plants-close
This article contains interesting charts displaying what amounts nuclear power generates over the years and a US map of numbers of nuclear power plants.
 
“Energy output at the 43-year-old plant has been waning since Sept. 29[,2016], when a “coasting down” period began…. [T]he atomic era at OPPD ….began in 1966, when the utility first announced its plans to build the nuclear plant on the Missouri River. By the time the power station was dedicated in May 1974, it was one of only 44 such licensed facilities.
Today, 100 nuclear reactors are licensed to operate by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
But that number is falling: In 2016 alone, six nuke plants including Fort Calhoun have announced plans to shut down. All but one are closing years before their licensing terms expire.”
http://www.omaha.com/money/simply-an-economic-decision-oppd-to-close-fort-calhoun-nuclear/article_3fe6ce02-3352-11e6-a426-a7596287dd59.html
 
“Once closed, a nuclear plant must undergo a decommissioning process to remove or decontaminate materials and equipment that have been exposed to radioactivity. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission requires decommissioning to be completed within 60 years of a plant's closing.
Cleaning up the site after its closure is estimated to cost $1.2 billion, the utility said.” 
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2016/06/16/nebraska-utility-close-nations-smallest-nuclear-plant/85993524/
 
This plant did have safety concerns in 2010 and 2011:
 
“[In] October [, 2010] the US Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRC) wrote up the plant for a ‘violation of substantial safety significant’ related to its flood-control strategy.
Among the issues:
• The plant had stockpiled plenty of sandbags but not the sand to fill them.
• The Omaha Public Power District, which runs the plant, installed floodgates designed to keep floodwaters from overpowering the doors behind the gates. But the floodgates must be shored up on the outside – and topped – with sand bags. The support structures across the top of the gates weren't strong enough to withstand the weight of sandbags that would be place on top of them.
• Perhaps most significantly, workers upgrading the plant's cooling-water intake structure in the mid-1980s failed to seal old electrical conduits running through the structure's front wall. The structure by design sits in the river along the bank to provide cooling water to the plant. NRC inspectors noted that the unplugged conduits were below the flood height specified for the rest of the plant's critical buildings. Floodwaters jetting into the intake structure would have rendered useless pumps that are the plant's last line of defense against a loss-of-coolant accident.
The upshot: The plant was at a 100 percent risk of partial core damage if a loss-of-coolant accident occurred during a flood only two feet higher than the level projected for the current flood, according to the NRC. The company, by contrast, put the risk at between 19 and 23.9 percent.
Since then, plant workers have fixed the conduit and sand-bag problems, and the company is trying to plug the organizational gaps that allowed the problems to go unnoticed and unsolved for nearly two decades.”
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0627/Missouri-River-soaks-Nebraska-nuclear-plant-but-it-s-no-Fukushima
 
“Two nuclear-power plants in Nebraska remain threatened by Missouri River flooding [in June, 2011], including one plant where a fire briefly shut down a cooling system for spent fuel rods earlier this month.
Federal and state officials said there is no danger of a radiation leak and insisted the facilities would not see a repeat of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear-power plant disaster.”
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jun/20/floods-threaten-nebraska-nuclear-plants/
 
This entry continues on the reports about nuclear power issues in this blog:
2/11/2015              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  
07/31/2016            Cost of Nuclear Shutdown in Germany
08/07/2016            Debate about Nuclear Power
 
This current event could add to a Debate about Nuclear Power described in the 08/07/2016 blog entry.
 
*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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indigo dye

10/21/2016

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We’re deep in October!  You are finishing the first quarter marking period or just have finished.  Congratulations!
 
The book Chemistry on a Budget contains inexpensive chemistry labs that are useful with easy to obtain materials.
 
The early labs include the topics of Significant Figures, Density (3 labs), the Separation of a Mixture (including coverage of Percent Composition), and Liquid Chromatography.  These are safe labs that cover essential information, giving you time to emphasize Lab Safety and get Lab Safety Contracts signed.
 
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 !
 
As stated last week, Mole Day is October 23 (10/23) – this year it’s on a Sunday.  You may want to start introducing Mole math before or after that date.
 
Past Mole posts include:
 
01/10/2014            2nd Entry (Mole Conversions and
                                  Moletown Map)
 
10/20/2014            Celebrating Mole Day
 
10/15/2015            Mole Mathematics​
 
10/15/2016            Mole Day is Coming!
 
There are several labs in Chemistry on a Budget about The Mole Concept including “Catching Moles”, “Moles in Your Name?”, and beginning Stoichiometry with “A Chemical Reaction”.
 
Recently, a short article caught my attention as it was titled, “The blue in your blue jeans may have originated in Peru at least 6000 years ago.”http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/09/blue-your-blue-jeans-may-have-originated-peru-least-6000-years-ago
The history of a commonly experienced product could be interesting to your students; it could also be a source of Extra Credit as a student researches more about the idea. 
 
“The earliest previously known fabric to contain indigo dye was found in Egypt and dated to 4,400 years ago. Writings in other Middle Eastern lands mention the dye as far back as 5,000 years ago.
The Huaca Prieta fragments included indigo-dyed yarn, off-white cotton, and bright-white thread crafted from milkweed, which was not at all a common textile in South America at that time.”
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/currentevents/ancientindigo-peru.htm
 
Here are some interesting websites providing more history of indigo dye:
 
http://www.scienceinschool.org/2012/issue24/indigo
 
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-6/Indigo.html
 
http://www.npr.org/2011/11/07/142094103/indigo-the-indelible-color-that-ruled-the-world
 
Here is a short, 10-minute video showing indigo production in India:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEMcjmyjoOY
  
“By the 19th century, natural indigo production could no longer meet the demands of the clothing industry, and a search for synthetic indigo started. In 1865, Adolf von Baeyer, a German chemist began working on the synthesis of indigo and in 1897 synthetic indigo was launched. In 1905, Baeyer won the Nobel prize in Chemistry for his work on organic dyes including indigo.”
http://www.wildcolours.co.uk/html/indigo_history.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!
​
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mole day is coming!

10/15/2016

0 Comments

 
I apologize for the delay in this post – I had problems with my connection to the Internet.
 

The book Chemistry on a Budget contains inexpensive chemistry labs that are useful with easy to obtain materials.
 
The early labs include the topics of
Significant Figures, Density (3 labs), the Separation of a Mixture (including coverage of Percent Composition), and Liquid Chromatography.  These are safe labs that cover essential information, giving you time to emphasize Lab Safety and get Lab Safety Contracts signed.
 
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 !
 
Mole Day is October 23 (10/23) – this year it’s on a Sunday.  You may want to start introducing Mole math before or after that date.
 
Past Mole posts include:
 
01/10/2014            2nd Entry (Mole Conversions
                                                    and Moletown Map)

10/15/2015            Mole Mathematics​


10/20/2014            Celebrating Mole Day
  
There are several labs in the book 
Chemistry on a Budget including “Catching Moles,” “Moles in Your Name?” and beginning Stoichiometry with “A Chemical Reaction”.
 

I have posted about Moles before, but here are some  useful overviews of The Mole Concept (I hope not repeats):
http://www.kentchemistry.com/links/GasLaws/Mole.htm
 
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-was-avogadros-number/
 
Here are some Mole Day activities:
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/students/highschool/chemistryclubs/activities/mole-day.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!
​
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Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016

10/5/2016

0 Comments

 
Welcome to October!  Your class is getting into a routine and you may be preparing Mid-Quarter Progress Reports. This week, I am publishing this blog 2 days early; the next blog entry will be Friday, October 14, 2016.
 
The book Chemistry on a Budget contains inexpensive chemistry labs that are useful with easy to obtain materials.
 
The early labs include the topics of
Significant Figures, Density (3 labs), the Separation of a Mixture (including coverage of Percent Composition), and Liquid Chromatography.  These are safe labs that cover essential information, giving you time to emphasize Lab Safety and get Lab Safety Contracts signed.
 
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 !
 
Past blog posts about
Gas Laws that may be useful right now include:
 
01/26/2014              Boyle’s Law
01/29/2014              Charles’ Law
02/02/2014              Gay Lussac’s Law
02/05/2014              Combined Gas Law
02/09/2014              Ideal Gas Law
11/07/2014              Molar Volume of a Gas
01/07/2015              Atmospheric Pressure -- Current Story
01/14/2015              Charles' Law in Freezing
                                   Temperatures
01/21/2015             Gay-Lussac's Law Demonstration
01/28/2015             Computer Simulations of Gases

Many are preparing a first set of
Progress Reports, so:
 

09/30/2015             5-Week Progress Reports
 
07/20/2014             Classroom Grading Programs
 
The 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was recently awarded this Wednesday, October 5, 2016:
 
“
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016 to
Jean-Pierre Sauvage
University of Strasbourg, France
Sir J. Fraser Stoddart
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
and

Bernard L. Feringa
University of Groningen, the Netherlands
‘for the design and synthesis of molecular machines’ "
https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2016/press.html
 
“The laureates share the 8 million kronor ($930,000) prize for the "design and synthesis" of molecules with controllable movements, which can perform a task when energy is added, the
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.”
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/3-win-Nobel-chemistry-prize-for-molecular-machines/articleshow/54696340.cms
 
“Nanotechnology — the creation of structures on the scale of a nanometer, or a billionth of a meter — has been a field of fruitful research for a couple of decades. Now, scientists are learning how to construct tiny moving machines about one-thousandth the width of a strand of human hair.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/06/science/nobel-prize-chemistry.html?_r=0
 
“The machines conceived by today's laureates are a thousand times thinner than a strand of hair.
They could slip inside the human body to deliver drugs from within - for instance, applying pharmaceuticals directly to cancer cells.
This field of nanotechnology could also yield applications in the design of smart materials. …
The prize recognises their success in linking molecules together to design everything from motors to a car and muscles on a tiny scale.”

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37486374
 
“The first Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden [in 1901], in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace. The ceremony came on the fifth anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite and other high explosives. In his will, Nobel directed that the bulk of his vast fortune be placed in a fund in which the interest would be ‘annually distributed in the form of prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.’ Although Nobel offered no public reason for his creation of the prizes, it is widely believed that he did so out of moral regret over the increasingly lethal uses of his inventions in war.”

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-nobel-prizes-awarded
 
Here are two articles that provide more background about the Nobel Prize:
http://www.cbnuglobe.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=117
 
https://www.nobelprize.org/alfred_nobel/
 
I am publishing this blog 2 days early; the next blog entry will be Friday, October 14, 2016.
 
*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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    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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