Greeting to the Spring 2025 Chemistry 223 class! My name is Dr. Michael Russell and I will be your Chemistry 223 instructor this quarter. I think this will be an exciting term, and I look forward to working with you! You can call me Dr. Russell, Mr. Russell, Professor, Michael, Mike.... almost anything respectful is fine (*except* for "Mikey" - don't go there, I have bad memories from the brat kid in the 1970's Life cereal commercial! lol)!
A video welcome to the Spring 2025 Chemistry 223 class from Dr. Michael Russell!
Classes start Monday, March 31 at Mt. Hood Community College. What happens this week (and in subsequent weeks) depends on which section of CH 223 you are enrolled. There are two "types" of CH 223 this quarter:
- Section 01 (which is mostly face-to face with on campus lectures and labs), and
- Section H1 (which has virtual lectures and a face-to-face on campus lab), and
Information for each section on what is happening this week can be found below, followed by some general information for everyone about how to get started in this class.
Quick Links for Section 01, Section H1, and General Information for Everyone
For Section 01:
Section 01 has a required on-campus and in-person lab each Monday from 1:10 PM until no later than 5 PM. In addition, Section 01 students should attend the on-campus and in-person lectures each Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9 AM.
- The lectures will be on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 AM until 9:50 AM in AC 1303. AC 1303 is located near the Planetarium on the lower level of the main campus.
- Our first lecture will be Monday, March 31 at 9:00 AM in room AC 1303.
- If you would like a printed copy of the Lecture Notes while I am lecturing, you can find it here, and future chapters will also be available at this location.
- Purchase (or print) the Chemistry 223 Companion. The Companion is a collection of all the problem sets, labs, lecture notes and more that you will need this quarter. You can purchase the Chemistry 223 Companion through the MHCC Bookstore (direct link), but you can alternatively print this (large!) document yourself. You will need printed materials this quarter in CH 223!
- A subscription to the iClicker Student App is an optional purchase if you will be attending lectures in CH 221. It is not required, but it is a fun item to have and worth some extra credit if you attend lecture.
- The lab will be on Mondays from 1:10 PM until 5 PM. We will start in room AC 2501 then move to the actual lab room (AC 2507) around 3 PM.
For Section H1:
Section H1 has a required on-campus and in-person lab each Wednesday from 1:10 PM until no later than 5 PM.
- The lab will be on Wednesdays from 1:10 PM until 5 PM. We will start in room AC 2501 then move to the actual lab room (AC 2507) around 3 PM. Both AC 2501 and AC 2507 are located near the "F" parking lot on the main MHCC campus.
- Purchase (or print) the Chemistry 223 Companion.
- The Companion is a collection of all the problem sets, labs, lecture notes and more that you will need this quarter. You can purchase the Chemistry 223 Companion through the MHCC Bookstore (direct link), but you can alternatively print this (large!) document yourself.
- You will need printed materials this quarter in CH 223!
- You will need to learn the lecture material on your own using one or more of these methods:
- You can read the chapters in the textbook.
- You can use my "Complete Lectures" for each section. Complete lectures include all the relevant information from each section, and most are split into two separate videos.
- You can watch the recordings of the live lectures I offer section 01 of CH 223 this winter. These videos should be available by noon on the day they were given.
- You can view the Screencasts (i.e. mini lecture videos) for each chapter.
- All of these methods are acceptable; you can also use the Internet to find your own preferred method of learning.
General Information for Everyone:
All students of CH 223 are expected to know and use the following constants in these versions with these significant figures only:
- Avogadro's number (6.022 x 1023)
- the speed of light (c = 2.998 x 108 m s-1)
- Planck's constant (h = 6.626 x 10-34 J*s
- the heat capacity of liquid water (C = 4.184 J g-1 °C-1)
- the "gas constant" (R = 0.082057 L atm mol-1 K-1),
and
- the "energy gas constant" (R = 8.3145 J mol-1 K-1)
- 273.15 (to convert Kelvin to Celsius temperatures and vice-versa)
We will use these occasionally during CH 223 and I expect you to know them and use these values of the constants... using other versions (ie less sig figs, etc.) can result in point loss on assignments. Knowing common metric conversions is also expected in CH 223 (i.e. kilo, centi, milli, micro and nano.)
If you would like to start working on Chemistry 223 materials a bit earlier, then here are some ideas to get you started in the course successfully:
- First, know that I am here to help you in any way that I can, and I encourage you to contact me any time you need assistance. Email is the best way to contact me (mike.russell@mhcc.edu); you can also use Discord (https://discord.gg/fwhD9tf) or you can visit me during my office hours in room AC 2568 on the MHCC campus (located half way between the math and science departments.) Office hours will be held MW 10 AM - 11 AM and MW noon - 1 PM and F 8 - 9 AM in AC 2568.
- Look around the CH 223 website (http://mhchem.org/223) We will not be using the MyMHCC Portal or Blackboard this quarter, but you will find a variety of goodies on our website.... check it out!
- View the CH 223 Syllabus and check out the 'Getting Started' guide (http://mhchem.org/Syl223/). This will let you know what the course is like, and be sure to check out the "What's Due This Week" Guide (both in the syllabus and here: here.
- Explore the Chemistry 223 Discord server (https://discord.gg/fwhD9tf). Discord is a wonderful platform to share ideas and learning, and I will be posting there regularly.)
- Start Problem Set #1 (https://mhchem.org/223/classroom/pdf/zPS1.pdf). Problem Set #1 covers Chapter 13 of our textbook, and it's officially due on due on: Monday, April 7 (section 01 in recitation) or Wednesday, April 9 (section H1 in recitation).
OK, I *think* that is is :), but I'm sure I missed something, so.... if you have any questions, on anything!, please contact me (mike.russell@mhcc.edu). There are no dumb questions!!! My answers might be dumb, but your questions are not, so please let me know if I can help.
Have a wonderful day, and I look forward to a great term with you! Peace, --- Michael
Dr. Michael A. Russell
Chemistry 223 Website
Office Hours: MW 10 AM - 11 and noon - 1 PM, F 8 AM - 9 in AC 2568 on the main MHCC campus
