Stereoselectivity of directed epoxidations of 22-hydroxy-Δ23-sterol side chains

Abstract

A series of 22-hydroxy-Δ23-sterols comprising (3β,5α,6β,22S)-6-methoxy-3,5-cyclo-25,26,27-trinorcholest-23-en-22-ol (6), (3β,5α,6β,22S,23E)-6-methoxy-3,5-cyclo-26,27-dinorcholest-23-en-22-ol (7), 3β,5α,6β,22R)-6-methoxy-23-methyl-3,5-cyclo-25,26,27-trinorcholest-23-en-22-ol(10),3β,5α,6β,22S,23Z)-6-methoxy-3,5-cyclo-26,27-dinorcholest-23-en-22-ol (11), and 3β,5α,6β,22R)-6-methoxy-3,5-cyclo-26,27-dinorergost-23-en-22-ol (12) were subjected to epoxidation with m-chloroperbenzoic acid and tert-butyl hydroperoxide in the presence of either vanadyl acetoacetonate or molybdenum hexacarbonyl, and the threo:erythro ratios of the products were determined. The results are of relevance for the synthesis of sterols with oxygenated side chains, such as brassinolide (1). The oxidations of 6 and 7 were erythro selective with all three oxidants, especially with the vanadium-catalyzed system. Peracid oxidation of the 22-tert-butyldimethylsilyl ether (8) and 22-pivaloate (9) of alcohol 7 showed similar erythro selectivity to that of the parent compound 7. Allylic alcohol 10 gave exclusively the erythro epoxide with all three oxidants, while 11 and 12 were threo-selective under all three conditions. Molecular modeling indicated that erythro selectivity in the vanadium-catalyzed epoxidation of 10 was consistent with a destabilizing interaction (A(1,2) strain) between the gem-methyl and C(21) methyl groups in the conformation required for formation of the threo-isomer. The threo-selective peracid oxidations of 11 and 12 were attributed to A(1,3) strain between the cis-methyl groups and C(20) in the conformation required for formation of the erythro-epoxide. The differences in the calculated energies of conformations leading to the threo- and erythro epoxide diastereomers of substrates containing no gem or cis substituents proved too small to permit reliable prediction of diastereoselectivity. Key words: 22-hydroxy-Δ23-sterols, brassinosteroids, allylic alcohols, epoxidation, diastereoselectivity