Mark Kobrak

Associate Professor

Brooklyn College

Department of Chemistry

Contact Information:
2900 Bedford Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11210
(718) 951-5758
mkobrak@brooklyn.cuny.edu

Education
Northwestern University	B.S.	1992	Chemistry and Integrated Sciences
University of Chicago	M.A.	1994	Chemistry
University of Chicago	Ph.D.	1997	Chemistry

Positions & Employment
2006 - present	Associate Professor, Brooklyn College -- CUNY
2001 - 2006	Assistant Professor, Brooklyn College -- CUNY
1999 - 2001	Post-doctoral fellow, Notre Dame University and Pennsylvania State University
1998 - 1999	Post-doctoral fellow, University of Houston

Research Interests

Physical chemical theory of quantum and classical processes in condensed phase. Current interest is in room-temperature ionic liquids.

Publications

The Chemical Environment of Ionic Liquids: Links Between Liquid Structure, Dynamics and Solvation,
M.N. Kobrak, Adv. Chem. Phys. 139 85 (2008).

The Relationship Between Solvent Polarity and Molar Volume in Room-Temperature Ionic Liquids
M.N. Kobrak, Green Chem. 9 80 (2008).

A Comparative Study of Solvation Dynamics in Room Temperature Ionic Liquids, M.N. Kobrak, J.
Chem. Phys. 127 184507 (2007).

Electrostatic Interactions of a Neutral Dipolar Solute with a Fused Salt: A New Model for Solvation
in Ionic Liquids M.N. Kobrak, J. Phys. Chem. B 111 4755 (2007).

Lewis Structure Representation of Free Radicals Similar to ClO, W. Hirsch and M. Kobrak, J. Chem.
Ed. 84 1360 (2007).

SmartTutor: A Unified Approach for Enhancing Science Education, K. Harrow, R. Eckhardt, D. Kopec,
M. Kobrak and P. Whitlock, J. Comp. Sci. in Coll. 22 29 (2007).

Characterization of the Solvation Dynamics of a Room-Temperature Ionic Liquid via Molecular Dynamics Simulation, M.N. Kobrak, J. Chem. Phys., 125 064502 (2006).

Understanding Organic Processes in Ionic Liquids: Achievements So Far and Challenges Remaining,
J. B. Harper and M.N. Kobrak, Mini-Rev. in Org. Chem. 3 253 (2006).

An Electrostatic Interpretation of Structure-Property Relationships in Ionic Liquids, M.N. Kobrak and
N. Sandalow, in “Molten Salts XIV, R. Mantz, ed., The Electrochemical Society, Pennington, NJ, 2006.

Solvation Dynamics of Room-Temperature Ionic Liquids: Evidence for Collective Solvent Motion on
Sub-Picosecond Timescales, M.N. Kobrak and V. Znamenskiy, Chem. Phys. Lett. 395 127 (2004).

A Molecular Dynamics Study of Polarity in Room-Temperature Ionic Liquids, V. Znamenskiy and
M.N. Kobrak, J. Phys. Chem. B 108 1072 (2004).

Grants Awarded (past 7 yrs.)

Petroleum Research Fund Type G

Research Mentoring

Served as an advisor to 9 undergraduates, 1 doctoral, and 1 post-doctoral student. Served as a committee member for 1 graduate and 1 doctoral student.

Institution/Departmental Committee Memberships

Deputy Chair, Chemistry, Brooklyn College
Deputy Executive Officer, Graduate Center
Undergraduate Advisor, Chemistry
Curriculum Committee
Safety Committee
Outcomes Assessment Committee
Green Chemistry Committee

Professional Memberships

American Chemical Society
Electrochemical Society

Collaborators

James Wishart, BNL
Sharon Lall-Ramnarine, Queensborough CC
Edward Castner, Rutgers University
Mark Maroncelli, Penn State Univ.

BNL Experiences

Year 1 - Dates: 6/1/03 through 8/20/03

Mentor - James Wishart

Departments - Chemistry

Project Name - Physical Studies of Room-Temperature Ionic Liquids

Description - A novel class of materials, room-temperature ionic liquids, were studied in simulation and experiment to determine their properties under radiation. Students were involved in the preparation of samples.

Number of participants - 2

Year 2 - Dates: 6/1/04 through 8/20/04

Mentor - James Wishart

Departments - Chemistry

Project Name - Radiation Chemistry of Room-Temperature Ionic Liquids

Description - A novel class of materials, room-temperature ionic liquids, were studied in simulation and experiment to determine their properties under radiation. Students were involved in the preparation of samples.

Number of participants - 2

Personal Comments

The FaST experience was an excellent opportunity to connect with scientists in a pure research environment, and provided many useful contacts for future work.

For more information about the Faculty and Student Team program, contact:

Noel Blackburn
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Building 438, PO Box 5000
Upton, New York 11973-5000
(631) 344-2890
(631) 344-5832 fax