BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT NUCLEAR POWER ENERGY TO MEXICAN CITIZENS

1. BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT NUCLEAR POWER ENERGY TO MEXICAN CITIZENS Navarrete T., J.M: Muller C., G. y Rivero M.A. muller@servidor.unam.mx Abstract Considering that the childhood stage is indispensable in the education of human beings and especially critical to arouse in children scientific aspects, some handheld puppets were designed which represent radioactive elements and are used to tell the story of the beneficial uses to which these chemical elements are destined for. As a background we have a study about 13 books in which we found a nuclear mention and the application of a research to the classroom. The first element presented is the Uranium, as generator of energy in reactors and not only as a generator of atomic disasters. The Plutonium, which is used in long-lasting pacemakers, is also presented together with the Carbon 14 that allows to date organic material of historical importance; the Iodine used in medicine for thyroid problems, and the Cesium 167, used to detect pollution in marine sediments when related with quantities of Potassium 40, detected in the same samples, are also introduced to Elementary school children. Finally, the Radium is presented as the element that initiated the process of worldwide search for radioactivity. We considered that with this ludic activity, children can  be interested in basic chemical concepts, besides it avoids the common fear about nuclear chemistry associated to scientific experimentation or disasters shown on stereo-typical TV programs, mass media news or films. INTRODUCTION Mexico remains a country of vast territory; therefore, with increasing and more urgent energy demands, we consider indispensable the acceptance of Nuclear Power as a clean energy source, and thus fight back among the population the misconceptions which lead to irrational rejection as a viable alternative in the development of our country. As background, we will point out some facts made by ourselves, and others made by government or educational institutions, both nationally and internationally. We can present as precedent the inclusion in a secondary education book of a project for the preservation of monuments, which originally was designed as a typical research project in Nuclear Chemistry. There have also been bibliographic studies to verify that currently very few books talk about the nuclear problem in specialized texts of General Chemistry. Finally, we designed a finger muppets about radionuclear elements use in medical process and speak about their benefical properties. In December 2010, an international seminar was organized with the participation of researchers from Toshiba Co., representatives from the National Institute for Nuclear Research, the Engineering Academy, the Mexican Nuclear Society, the World Energy Council, the Energy Regulatory Committee and the Ministry of Energy, etc. We believe that the most important issue of these projects is to raise public awareness about the safety in the use of nuclear energy as a clean and necessary source to enable a country's sustainable development. Mexico has only one nuclear plant with two reactors at Laguna Verde, in Veracruz, whereas most developed countries smaller in size have as many as six or seven of them favorable for their development, such as Finland and France. It is necessary that the population in general is educated and, therefore, accepts the installation of new plants to revitalize the economy and the development of any growing country. EXPERIMENTAL Considering that childhood is an indispensable stage in the education of human beings, especially important to arouse scientific aspects on pre-schoolers, a series of finger puppets were designed to represent certain chemical elements inside the context of the periodic table. Each designed series was done by groups, emphasizing the relation of the chemical symbol and the origin of its name(10-12). At present there are physically already five sets of puppets: Within the new programs for High School education in Mexico (secondary level)(8), a series of obligatory projects are established which comprehend from the first ones being very directed to the ones in the last unit, in which projects are more open and allow the student to have the decision making process and the election by themselves of methods and alternatives to follow. One of the latter ones is a project that tries to relate art to chemistry. In this context, an experimental project similar to the one carried out in the research area was proposed during the guidance of a formal doctoral thesis (1, 2, 3, 4). The academic objective (11) which was considered is that the student follows the steps for formal research and which implies not only the presentation of a problem and election of a method but also a handling of all the involved variables. The principle on which the process is based is in the use of gelatin in concentration of 1%, which is applied with a spray trying to cover all the pores of the chosen piece. Gelatin displays major durability and is free of undesirable bacteria and fungi by means of adding food preservatives (sodium sorbate and potassium benzoate), whose concentration is maximized when 1% of each are used, but presents a challenge for the students who initiate their experimentation using different concentrations for the preservatives (5). The experimental technique in which it was based originally used a sodium 22 labeled solution, not included in this type of student program. The other factor of the experiment implies the addition of formaldehyde to prevent the decomposition of the gelatin by microbial effect. In this case, the addition of the formaldehyde at different times is experienced in the process of dissolution and application of the gelatin. The student also experiments here adding the formaldehyde (7) to the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the process and thus following a mental process similar to the one of the researcher; he then chooses in which of them the process becomes more efficient and prevents the premature denaturizing of the gelatin(6). A finger muppets (12,13-14)) are designed and the first element presented is the Uranium, as generator of energy in reactors and not only as a generator of atomic disasters. The Plutonium is also presented, which is used in long-lasting pacemakers, together with the Carbon 14 that allows to date organic material of historical importance, the Iodine used  in medicine for thyroid problems, and the Cesium 167 used  to detect pollution in marine sediments when related with quantities of Potassium 40 detected in the same samples (13) are also introduced to Elementary school children. Finally, the Radius is presented as the element that initiated the process of worldwide search for radioactivity.(14) DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS We considered that with this ludic activity children can be interested in basic chemical concepts, besides avoiding the common fear about nuclear chemistry associated to scientific experimentation or disasters shown on stereo-typical TV programs or films. Theconclusion is that two strategies of their were applied to one group of High college students and the show 30% more interesting and advanced that other group that choose of the traditional learning. REFERENCES 1. M. T. Blanco, et al. Art Archeol., Getty Cons. Inst., 30 (1993) 1815 2. D. McMahon, et al. Art Archeol., Getty Cons. Inst., 30 (1993) 1986 3. G. Martinez, A. Soto, Final Report of Activities in the Archeological Zone of Tula, Hgo. Nat. Coord. of Cult. Inherit Files 4. H. Rosch, H. J. Schwarz, Studies in Conservation, 38 (1993) 224 5. Martinez, G. L. and Navarrete, J.M. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, Vol. 263, Num. 1 (2005), p. 35-38, Use of a radiotracer to test and reduce the porosity and humidity absorption from the soil in pre-Hispanic raw materials 6. Martinez, G. L. and Navarrete, J.M. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, Vol. 274, Num. 3 (2007), p. 651-655, A new technique to preserve raw materials of ancient monuments against the humidity and its test using Na (22) labeled solutions 7. THE MERCK INDEX, Merck and Co. Inc. USA, 9th ed. 1976, p. 409 8.- QUÍMICA para estudiantes de secundaria (3er grado) pp 299-301 Editorial SM. 9.-  “Thirteen textbooks of basic chemistry ant their treatment of radioctivity. Journal of Radionalytic and Nuclear Chem. Vol. 280 No 2 pp 227-8. Springer link: www.sringerlink.com/openurl.asp 10.-  “Propiedades periódicas” Müller Carrera Graciela, Llano Lomas]  Mercedes, Zempoaltecatl Julio. ALDEQ 2006-2007. No XXII, Año XX. San Luis Argentina. Pp 34-38 11.-  “From the research to the classroom”. Navarrete J. y Müller G. [12.- More than 20 uses of a didactic tool for the teaching of the periodic table and its properties. ECRISE 2010. [13  “Radioactivity in Marine Salts and Sediments. (Aceptado para publicación) Radio-isotopes/Book I ISBN 978-953-307-355-2. 14.-Proceedings of EDULEARN11 Conference. ISBN:978-84-615-0441-1