STEROIDS AND RELATED PRODUCTS: XIX. THE SYNTHESIS OF 3,9,12,20-TETRAOXYGENATED 9,12-seco STEROIDS. PART III. 11-AZA STEROIDS. PART I

Abstract

The smooth conversion of 3β-acetoxy-5α-pregnane-12,20-dione (IV), readily available from hecogenin (I), to Δ9(11)-3β,20β-diacetoxy-5α-pregnan-12-one (VIII) is reported. Ozonolysis of this product in ethyl acetate gave, in almost 90% yield, 3β-hydroxy-20β-acetoxy-9-oxo-9,12-seco-11-nor-5α-pregnan-12-oic acid (XI), further characterized by its ester derivatives XIa and XIb. The conversion of the seco acid XI to Δ8(9)-3β-hydroxy-20β-acetoxy-9-amino-9,12-seco-11-nor-5α-pregnen-12-oic acid lactam (12 → 9) (XII) and thence to Δ8(9)-N-acetyl-3β,20β-diacetoxy-11-aza-5α-pregnene (XIVa), the first 11-aza steroids to be known, is described. On the other hand, Δ9(11)-3β,20β-diacetoxy-5α-pregnen-12-one (VIII) is readily transformed to the 9α,11α-glycol VII with osmium tetroxide and thence, with periodic acid, to 3β,9α-dihydroxy-20β-acetoxy-11-oxo-11,12-seco-5α-pregnan-12-oic acid (X), characterized as the methyl ester Xa and diacetoxy methyl ester Xb, and easily converted to the acetoxy hydroxy keto dicarboxylic seco acid XIII. In the course of this work it is shown that, whereas ketalization of the saturated 12,20-diketone IV with ethylene glycol and boron trifluoride etherate gives a good yield of the 12-monoketal (in accordance with the reports of the literature), treatment of the analogous 16-unsaturated 12,20-diketone with the same reagents under the same conditions leads not to ketal formation but to addition of ethylene glycol in position 16.