Tetrahedron Letters has published an article on research done by Whitney Mudd, '09, and Professor Erland Stevens. The article describes their development of a two-step, one-pot synthesis of rufinamide, an antiepileptic drug" (AED) through an azide-enol ether cycloaddition.  This new route, in comparison to other reported methods, has a higher overall yield (89%), generates less waste, and uses reagents that are both less expensive and less toxic. Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures that affects approximately 50 million people worldwide. Most traditional AEDs are anticonvulsants, which successfully control seizures but often have adverse side effects. Rufinamide, a newer AED that likely blocks calcium channels, has recently been approved in the treatment of a severe form of childhood epilepsy.