To a solution of 16β-methyl-3β-hydroxy-5,16-pregnadien-20-one was added toluene, ethylene glycol, and p-toluene-sulfonic acid. The resulting solution was refluxed overnight forming the 20-ketal. The procedure for this ketalization step is described in JACS, 76, 5674 (1954). Tosyl chloride in pyridine was added to the above product to form the 3β-tosylate derivative. The 3β-tosylate was refluxed overnight with 10% NaI/acetone to form the 3β-iodo-16-methyl-5,16-pregnadien-20-one-ethylene ketal. This product was methylated with lithium dimethylcuprate in ether and tetrahydrofuran at -78° C. under a nitrogen atmosphere to form the 3β,16-dimethyl-5,16-pregnadien-20-one ethylene ketal. This product was deketalized by refluxing in the presence of acetone/p-toluenesulfonic acid. The resulting 3β,16-dimethyl,5,16-pregnadien-20-one was converted to the C-20-oxime by refluxing in ethanol and pyridine with an excess of hydroxylamine hydrochloride. This product was subjected to a Beckmann rearrangement in the presence of p-acetamidobenzenesulfonyl chloride/pyridine according to the procedure by Rosenkranz, et al. in J. Org. Chem., 21, 520-522 (1956). The product, 17-acetamido-3β,16-dimethyl-5,16-androstadiene was refluxed in tetrahydrofuran/hydrochloric acid solution. 3β,16α-dimethyl-5-androst-en-17-one was formed, separated and purified by normal phase HPLC using a 1 in.×25 cm silica gel preparative column at a flow rate of 30 ml/min and using ethyl acetate/hexane (in a gradient ranging from 0 to 20%) as the eluent. The product was recrystallized from methanol and characterized by NMR and IR. Colorless crystals were isolated:
