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gas explosion in boston

9/21/2018

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The book Chemistry on a Budget contains chemistry labs that are useful with inexpensive, easy to obtain materials.
 
For the 2018-19 school year, buy a copy of the lab book Chemistry on a Budget.  It’s a great resource for your class!

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. 
 
A 5-Star Customer Review of Chemistry on a Budget at amazon.com states:
“[S]traight forward, to the point, using household chemicals…this is the lab book for you. 
I teach high school chemistry and this is exactly what [I] was looking for. Labs included simple household chemicals that could be easily found. Nice format, easy to follow along procedures, and touches on every topic of our chemistry curriculum.”
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 !
 
“Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency Friday [September 14, 2018] in three towns north of Boston rocked by a string of deadly gas explosions, and he put another utility company in charge of restoration efforts. …

Baker said Eversource would replace Columbia Gas of Massachusetts on the same day he warned stunned residents of the towns that the return to normalcy could take time following blasts Thursday that set homes ablaze, forced evacuations and left one person dead.

Later in the day, the governor said Columbia was ‘simply inadequately prepared’ to effectively manage relief efforts.”
https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/14/us/massachusetts-explosions-fires/index.html
 
“At least 70 buildings north of Boston, Massachusetts have been set ablaze by what appears to be a ruptured gas line. Authorities are evacuating residents from parts of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover. One person has died.

The residents of the three communities north of Boston, serviced by Columbia Gas, have been ordered to evacuate after a reported gas line rupture triggered a series of violent explosions.

Ironically, perhaps, earlier in the day Columbia Gas issued an announcement that it would begin upgrading its distribution lines in the region.

According to the press release:
For your safety, your gas service will be off during the
installation. We may relocate the gas meter to an
appropriate place outside – at no additional cost to
you. Once our work is completed, we’ll conduct a
natural gas safety inspection outside and inside your
home or business. After a successful inspection, we’ll
relight your appliances.’ ”
https://www.rt.com/usa/438416-boston-gas-explosions-fire/
 
“At a press conference on Thursday [September 14, 2018], fire investigators suggested that over-pressurization in a gas-delivery main may have caused the blasts. The natural gas supplier for the affected area is Columbia Gas, a subsidiary of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI). Columbia serves more than 50,000 customers in the Merrimack Valley including the cities of Andover, North Andover, and Lawrence where the explosions and fires occurred.”
https://247wallst.com/infrastructure/2018/09/14/whats-to-blame-for-boston-area-natural-gas-explosions/
 
“A federal investigator says there's no evidence to suggest the gas explosions that rocked communities north of Boston were intentional.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/boston-gas-explosion-investigation-no-evidence-intentional-1.4825599

“The Massachusetts natural gas distribution system is one of the oldest in the United States, with the age of some of the piping more than a century old, according to utility company disclosures with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities.”
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-massachusetts-explosions/one-dead-a-dozen-injured-in-gas-blasts-in-boston-suburbs-idUSKCN1LU0W6
 
“U.S. oil and gas pipeline-related deaths jumped to the highest level in seven years in 2017. The 20 fatalities were the most since 2010, when a natural gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, California, leveled a neighborhood and killed eight people.

In a 2011 letter to PHMSA and others after San Bruno, the National Transportation Safety Board called for a host of improvements to lessen the likelihood of explosions and to reduce the severity of leaks after they happen.”
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-14/boston-gas-explosions-highlight-stalled-pipeline-safety-push
 
“There have been a number of gas-related disasters in recent years. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the San Bruno pipeline explosion on Sept. 9, 2010 killed eight people and wiped out an entire swatch of the suburban enclave located just south of San Francisco. The blast, spawned by a steel natural-gas pipeline that exploded beneath the Crestmoor neighborhood, released a loud roar that sounded to many like an earthquake of a large jet crashing.

This week, the explosions came in a series, setting off fires in dozens of homes in the towns of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover. As gas crews and first-responders tried to shut off gas and electricity to the area, Massachusetts authorities told all residents whose homes are serviced by Columbia Gas in the three communities to flee for safety.

‘This one is unique and unusual,’ said Mark McDonald, president of NatGas Consulting in Boston. ‘It appears to be an over-pressurization of the entire system, which is quite uncommon. ‘ “
https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/09/14/gas-explosions-near-boston-are-just-the-latest-in-a-long-string-of-blasts/
 
Other related Blog posts include:
01/22/2014      Combustion of a Hydrocarbon
11/25/2014      Predicting Products of a Combustion
                                Reaction (5th Rxn Type)
01/22/2016      Methane Leak in California
01/26/2018      Current Event -- Oil Drill Site Explosion
03/23/2018      Current Event: Chemical Plant Explosion in TX
07/20/2018      Gas Explosion in Wisconsin
 
Here are several past blog posts that you will find useful for the Beginning of the School Year:

07/06/2014          Decorating Your Classroom
07/13/2014          Chemistry Laboratory Safety
07/20/2014          Classroom Grading Programs
07/27/2014          Classroom Ideas –Daily Announcements
                              and Teacher Websites
08/03/2014          Lab Report Help
08/10/2014          Lab – Reaction in a Bag
03/25/2015          Your School Library
08/27/2015          Outlines for Student Notes
09/17/2015          Multiple Versions of Quizzes and Tests
11/27/2015          Your School Library II
08/28/2016          The First Days of School
01/12/2018          Grading Rubrics for Lab Reports
08/17/2018          Chemistry Using Virtual Reality
 
Blog posts useful for an Intro to Chemistry unit include:
08/19/2014        Measurement and Significant Figures
08/24/2014        SI System & Scientific Notation
09/02/2014        Dimensional Analysis or
                             The Factor-Label Method
09/12/2014        Density
09/19/2014        Element Symbols & Intro to Chemical
                             Language
 
For the 2018/2019 school year, buy a copy of the lab book Chemistry on a Budget – it is a great resource!  You can examine the labs and decide what you want to use during the school year.

*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.
 
Have a great weekend!

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    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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