Tim Strein's Home Page

Timothy G. Strein

Professor of Analytical Chemistry
Presidential Professor

Department of Chemistry
Bucknell Univeristy
Lewisburg, PA 17837
(570) 577-1641, strein@bucknell.edu

BS North Carolina State University, 1988

PhD Penn State University, 1992

Electrochemistry at Microvoltammetric Electrodes with Dr. Andrew G. Ewing

Camille and Henry Dreyfus Postdoctoral Fellow, Bucknell University 1992-1994

Capillary Electrophoresis of Physiological Fluids with Dr. Hans Veening

Research Interests: Bile salt micelle structure, In-capillary chemical reations, electrophoretic stacking phenomena in CE, chiral separations with CE, aqueous NMR, Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), microvoltammetric electrodes.

Areas of Teaching Expertise: Analytical Chemistry, Chemical Equilibria, Instrumental Analysis, Forensic Chemistry, General Chemistry.

Service Interests: Promotion of undergraduate research, Departmental Graduate (MS) Coordinator (1998-2006, 2015-), member Bucknell Graduate Council (2002-), Program Co-Chair MARM'06, Chair, Department of Chemistry (2010-2014), Acting Chair (2006-2007).

Department of Chemistry, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA 17837

The Strein group is interested in both the fundamentals and the applications of analytical techniques and technologies. We use many analytical techniques, notably including capillary electrophoresis (CE), aqueous NMR, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and dynamic electrochemistry at microelectrodes.

In our current work (2025) we are focused primarily on developing and characterizing rapid, inexpensive methods for chiral separations using capillary electrophoresis (CE). We are interested in the mechanism(s) that give rise to chiral separations with bile salt micelles by MEKC-CE, and the underlying thermodynamics that drive chiral selection.

In addition, we also have collaborative projects using (i) NMR to study bile micelle structure and (ii) ICP-MS to determine Li ion concentrations in human blood with an eye toward correlating endogenous Li levels to reveal underlying health issues.

The fantastic undergraduate and MS students in the group are central to all that we do. Current students in the group include:

For a list of former group members, and where they are now, click here (continually under construction).

The George I. Alden Trust (with Elizabeth S. Richer) "High Performance Liquid Chromatography Instrument Acquisition" $150,000, 2025-2030.

Bucknell-Geisinger Research Initiative (with Dr. Cosmin Sandelescu and Dr. Marlen Mendelev, Geisinger) “The Impact of Smoking and Parkinson's Disease on Blood Lithium Concentration” $20,000, 2024-2025 .

NSF-ROA Suppliment to NSF Grant CHE-2004021 (Prof. Lisa Holland, PI) "Acoustically Driven, Voltage-Free Spray Interface to Couple Capillary Electrophoresis and Mass Spectrometry" $29,600, 2021-2022.

NSF-RUI Grant #CHE-1800401 (with David Rovnyak, Mike Krout, and Maria Salari) "Mechanism of High Enantiomeric Resolution with Bile Micelles" $211,552, 2018-2021.

Bucknell-Geisinger Research Initiative Grant (with Dr. Li Zhang) "Rapid Quantitative Analysis for Fentanyl with Ion Mobility Spectrometry" $49,990, 2016.

NSF-RUI Grant #CHE-1153052 (with David Rovnyak) "Molecular Characterization of Aggregation and Guest-Host Solvation by Bile Acids" $159,814, 2012-2016.

Beckman-Coulter Biopharma-to-Education Instrument Grant: "PA800 CE-LIF system" $75,000, 2012.

NIH AREA Grant #1 R15 EB003854-02 "Bioanalytical CE: Mixing, Reacting, Separating, Stacking" 2007-2011, $218,899

ACS-PRF "Examining hydrodynamic and solubilization properties of micelles formed by chiral amphiphiles with NMR" with David Rovnyak, 2007-2011 $55,000

NIH AREA Grant #1 R15 EB003854-01 "Polarity Switching and Stacking in Bioanalytical CE" 2004-2007, $139,400.

NSF-MRI Grant # CHE-0521108 "Acquisition of a High-Resolution NMR Spectrometer to Advance Faculty and Undergraduate Research," with David Rovnyak (principal author) and others, 2005-2008, $475,000.

Henry Dreyfus Teacher/Scholar Award TH-98-025, "Activation, characterization and application of carbon fiber microelectrodes," 1998-2203, $60,000.

Research Corporation Grant #CC4333, renewal of "Capillary electrophoresis of physiological fluids: Small molecules to proteins," 1997-1999, $27,000.

NSF-ILI grant DUE-9551135, "Enhancement of the Undergraduate Chemistry Experience with Bench-Top GC-MS," 1995-1998 $24,732.

Council on Undergraduate Research Academic-Industrial Undergraduate Research Partnership (AIURP) Award, for summer research student Cozette Cuppett.
1996 $3,000.

Research Corporation Grant # CC3788, "Capillary electrophoresis of physiological fluids: Small molecules to proteins," 1995-1997 $28,500.

Camille and Henry Dreyfus Supplemental Grant number SL-94-02, "Bioanalytical Chemistry at Bucknell" 1994, $10,000.

Camille and Henry Dreyfus Start-up Grant number SU-94-011, "Development and use of capillary electrophoretic and microvoltammetric methods of analysis, and their application to biologically interesting samples," 1994, $12,500.

Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh Starter Grant, "Laser Activation at Carbon Fibers," 1994, $10,000.

NSF-ILI grant number DUE-9352607, "Capillary Electrophoresis in the Undergraduate Curriculum," T. G. Strein (principal author) with H. Veening, J. Swan, and C. Clapp, 1993-1996, $19,020.

Rovnyak, D.; He, J.; Kong, S.; Eckenroad, K.W.; Manley, G.A.; Geffert, R.M.; Krout, M.R.; Strein, T.G. “Determining Sequential Micellization Steps of Bile Salts with Multi-CMC Modeling” Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Available online April 5, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2023.03.146.

Elshamy, Y.S.; Strein, T.G. ; Holland, L.A.; Li, C.; DeBastiani, A .; Valentine, S.J.; Li, P.; Lucas, J.A. ; Shaffer, T.A. “Nanoflow Sheath Voltage-Free Interfacing of Capillary Electrophoresis and Mass Spectrometry for the Detection of Small Molecules, Analytical Chemistry, 2022, 94, 11329-11336 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c02074)

Meier, A.R.; Yehl, J.B.; Eckenroad, K.W.; Manley, G.A.; Strein, T.G. and Rovnyak, D. "Stepwise aggregation of cholate and deoxycholate dictates the formation and loss of surface-available chirally selective binding sites" Langmuir, 2018, 34(22), 6489-6501 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b00467).

Anderson, S.L., Rovnyak, D., Strein, T.G. "Identification of Edible Oils by Principal Component Analysis of 1H NMR Spectra" Journal of Chemical Education, 2017, 94(9), 1377-1382 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00012).

Eckenroad, K., Manley, G., Yehl, J., Pirnie, R., Strein, T., Rovnyak, D. "An edge selection mechanism for chirally selective solubilization of binaphthyl atropisomeric guests by cholate and deoxycholate micelles" Chirality, 2016, 28, published online June 14, 2016 (DOI: 10.1002/chir.22609).

Anderson, S.A., Rovnyak, D., Strein T.G. “Direct Measurement of the Thermodynamics of Chiral Recognition in Bile Salt Micelles” Chirality, 2016, 28, 290-298 (DOI: 10.1002/chir.22580)

Guy, Y.; Faraji, A.H.; Gavigan, C., Strein, T.G. and Weber, S.G. Iontophoresis From a Micropipette into a Porous Medium Depends on the Zeta-Potential of the Medium Analytical Chemistry, 2012, 84, 2179-2187 (DOI: 10.1021/ac202434c).

Faraji, A.H.; Cui, J.J.; Guy, Y.; Li, L.; Gavigan, C.A. Strein, T.G. and Weber,S.G. “Synthesis and Characterization of a Hydrogel with Controllable Electroosmosis: A Potential Brain Tissue Surrogate for Electrokinetic Transport” Langmuir, 2011, 27 (22), pp 13635-13642 (DOI: 10.1021/la202198k).

Alcala, M.A.; Shade, C.M.; Uh, H.; Kwan, S.Y.; Bishof, M.; Thampson, Z.P.; Golick, K.A.; Meier, A.R.; Strein, T.G.; Bartlett, D.L.; Modzelewski, R.R.; Lee, Y.J.; Petoud, S.; Brown, C.K. “Preferential accumulation within tumors and in vivo imaging by functionalized luminescent dendrimer lanthanide complexes” Biomaterials, 2011, 32, 9343-9352. (DOI:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2011.07.076)

Stahl, J. W.; Catherman, A.D.; Ranasinghe S.K.; Strein, T.G. "Investigating the Effects of Conductivity of Zone Overlap with EMMA: Computer Simulation and Experiment" Electrophoresis, 2011, 32, 1492-1499. (DOI: 10.1002/elps.201000451)

Merola, E.T.; Catherman, A.D., Yehl, J.B.; Strein, T.G. "Determination of Total Antioxidant Capacity of Commercial Beverage Samples by Capillary Electrophoresis using 2,6-Dichloroindophenol" J. Ag and Food Chem., 2009, 57(15), 6518-6523. (DOI: 10.1021/jf901214r)

Mason, P.; Strein T.G. “ In-capillary determination of creatinine with electrophoretically mediated microanalysis: characterization of the effects of reagent zone and buffer conditions ” Journal of Chromatography A, 2009, 1216,154-158. (DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2008.11.033)

Hebling, C.M.; Eckenroad, K.W.; Rovnyak, D.; and Strein, T.G. “Sodium Cholate Aggregation Observed by Nuclear magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of the Probe Molecule (R,S) 1,1'-bunapthyl-2,2'- dihydrogenphophate (BNDHP)” Langmuir, 2008, 24,13866-13874. (DOI:10.1021/la802000x)

Eckenroad, K.W.; Thompson, L.E.; Strein, T.G.; Rovnyak, D. "Proton NMR assignments for R,S-1,1-binapthyl (BN) and R,S-1,1-binaphthyl-2,2-diyl hydrogen phosphate (BNDHP) interacting with bile salt micelles" Magnetic Resonance in Chemistry,2006, 45, 72-75. (DOI: 10.1002/mrc.1916).

CHEM 231 Analytical Chemistry I: Quantitative Analysis course for sophomore and junior Chemistry and Biochemity majors
CHEM 332 Analytical Chemistry II: Instrumental Analysis course for junior and senior level Chemistry and Biochemistry majors
CHEM 386/686 Seminar Course in Separations Science for MS students and upper level undergraduates
CHEM 358/BIOL 340 Biochemical Methods Laboratory course for junior and senior Biochmistry majors
CHEM 205 Principles of Chemistry I: Entry level college chemsitry course for science majors
CHEM 337 Special Topics in Analytical Chemisty including forensic chemistry, DNA analysis, and chemistry on Mars.
CHEM 403 Research in Chemistry Capstone Course for Seniors
CHEM 340 Lab Biophysical Chemistry lab for junior/senior BS biochemistry majors and BA chemsitry majors
CHEM 203 General Chemistry: College Chemistry course for sophomore engineers
FOUN 098,090 Forensic Chemistry Foundation Seminar

	Natalie Nareski Rising Senior Chemistry Major	Chiral Separations using MEKC with bile salt micelles: cholate and taurodeoxycholate (DTC). ICP-MS of Li in human sera and correlation with succeptability to nuerological disorders
	Abby Gavron Rising Senior Chemistry Major	Chiral Separations using MEKC with bile salt micelles: taurodeoxycholate (TDC)