Timothy G. Strein Professor of Analytical Chemistry Chair, 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: In-capillary chemical reations, electrophoretic stacking phenomena in CE, chiral separations with CE, bile salt micellar structure, aqueous NMR, 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), member Bucknell Graduate Council (2002-), Program Co-Chair MARM'06, Chair, Department of Chemistry (2010-), Acting Chair (2006-2007). Department of Chemistry, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA 17837

Bucknell Chemistry Department Web Site

Research Interests | External Funding | Recent Publications | Teaching Interests | Former Group Members

The Strein group is interested in both the fundamentals and the applications of analytical techniques and technologies. A good deal of our work falls within broad area of separation science but we are also dabbling in electrochemistry. On the separations side, we work with the capillary electrophoresis (CE) and are interested in separation schemes for the analysis of clinical biofluids and commercial beverages and are also interested in mechanisms for chiral separation by CE. One thrust of our work has focused on the development of Electrophoretically Mediated Microanalysis (EMMA) methods to perform (and understand!) chemical reactions in nanoliter volumes all within the confines of capillary tube. We are also developing methodology for the analysis of dendrimers with CE.

A good deal of our current (2011) work focuses on gaining a fundamental understanding of and exploiting the capabilities of CE to perform in-line chemical reactions between small molecules or ions. We are investigating techniques for electrophoretic mixing and for both field-enhanced and transient isotachophoretic stacking of either the reactants or the products of in-line reactions. We have been using the Jaffe reaction between picrate and creatinine as a model system for most of these studies, but are also investigating reactions of anti-oxidants.

We also have a keen interest in CE-based chiral separations that are enabled by micellar chiral additives to CE background buffers. We are particularly interested in understanding how micelles formed by bile salts such as sodium cholate, deoxycholate and kenodeoxycholate act as chiral selectors. This interest has spurred a collaborative project with the Rovnyak group in which NMR is being used to understand the dynamics of chiral bile salt micelle formation and the interaction of bile salt micelles with model chiral analytes.

An important part of our research efforts is the collaborative nature of student/faculty research at Bucknell. Typically, between 3 and 6 very talented and energetic students make up the research group. Current students in the group include:

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

NIH AREA Grant #1 R15 EB003854-02 "Bioanalytical CE: Mixing, Reacting, Separating, Stacking" 2007-2010, $218,899

ACS-PRF "Examining hydrodynamic and solubilization properties of micelles formed by chiral amphiphiles with NMR" with David Rovnyak, 2007-2010 $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.

Boughton, J. L.; Robinson, B. W.; Strein, T. G. "Determination of Uric Acid in Human Serum by Capillary Electrophoresis with Polarity Reversal and Electrochemical Detection" Electrophoresis, 23, 2002, 3705-3710.

Strein, T.G. Invited Review of: Capillary Electrophoresis of Nucleic Acids, Vol. 1 (484 pp): Introduction to the Capillary Electrophoresis of Nucleic Acids, and Vol. 2 (408 pp): Practical Applications of Capillary Electrophoresis. Keith R. Mitchelson and Jing Cheng, eds. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press, 2001,
Clinical Chemistry, 48, 2002, 683.

Strein, T. G.; Morris, D.; Palmer, J.; Landers, J. P. "Discontinuous Electrophoretic Stacking System for Cholate-based Electrokinetic Chromatographis Separation of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanisine from Unmodified Deoxynucleosides" Journal of Chromatography B, 763, 2001 71-78.

Kochansky, C. J.; Strein, T. G. "Determination of Uremic Toxins in Biofluids: Creatinine, Creatine, Uric Acids and Xanthines" invited review in Journal of Chromatography B, 747, 2001, 217.

Kochansky, C. J.; Koziol, S.; Strein, T. G. "The Jafee Method on a CE Column: EMMA for the Determination of Creatinine in Sera" Electrophoresis, 22, 2001, 2518-2525.

Teaching Area: Anlaytical Chemistry

CHEM231 Analytical Chemistry I: Quantitative Analysis course for sophomore and junior Chemistry, Biology and Chemical Engineering majors
CHEM332 Analytical Chemistry II: Instrumental Analysis course for junior and senior level Chemistry and Biochemistry majors
CHEM337 Special Topics in Analytical Chemisty including forensic chemistry, DNA analysis, and chemistry on Mars.
CHEM403 Research in Chemistry Capstone Course for Seniors
CHEM 386/686 Seminar Course in Separations Science for MS students and upper level undergraduates
CHEM340 Lab Biophysical Chemistry lab for junior/senior BS biochemistry majors and BA chemsitry majors
CHEM201 General Chemistry: College Chemistry course for sophomore engineers
FOUN098,090 Forensic Chemistry Foundation Seminar

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last edited 06/10