November 3, 2025

The work VonFrank presented examined new ways of developing fused azopyranyl (azo) heterocyclic systems. Azo units are commonly found in most antifungal drugs in the market, and the pyran unit is common in natural products.

“I'm passionate about this sort of work: exploring new paths and creating new tools, finding the gaps in knowledge where new insights live,” said VonFrank. “All the science we take for granted could not exist without people who find joy in this act of curiosity and who have the necessary luck and expertise to see what remains to be discovered.”

Although in its early stages, VonFrank's work has offered insight into how pyran units can be synthetically obtained with new substitution patterns. These results will serve as the foundation for work in Chemistry III Labs at Bennington College in Fall 2026.

This is the second time VonFrank has presented their work at an ACS conference. Their first time was during the Spring 2025 term, wherein VonFrank and several colleagues from faculty member Fortune Ononiwu's Chemistry II course presented from the work they were doing in the Chemistry II Lab.

“It was wonderful to see so many teams working on really fascinating research and to have the chance to share my research in that environment,” said VonFrank. “I received a lot of great feedback, mainly from others in organic synthesis, recommending new pathways to get our cycloaddition to work as intended. Fortune and I wouldn't have considered [that] without their knowledge and input.” 

“I'm hoping to focus future research on first showing our predicted reaction can be done and then expanding the possibilities from there,” said VonFrank. “The molecules I work with are already so multifunctional, and being able to have a new synthetic tool in the 3+2 cycloaddition gives a whole new angle on the system.”