Water → Almestrone

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

To a solution of 114 g of 7α-methylandrost-4ene-3,17-dione 45a in 1,500 mL of glacial acetic acid was added 106 g of CuCl2. The mixture with stirring was heated to 60° C. for 72 h. The reaction mixture was poured into H2O (500 mL reaction mixture to 3,500 mL H2O) and the precipitate collected by filtration and air dried for 18 h. The solid was dissolved in methylene chloride (2 L) and washed with sat. NaHCO3 (2 L), H2O (2 L), and sat. NaCl (2 L). The methylene chloride solution was dried over MgSO4, and filtered. The methylene chloride solution was filtered (suction chromatography) through 1.5 kg of flash chromatography silica gel 60 (230-400 mesh). The pad of silica gel was further eluted with additional MeCl2. The MeCl2 solutions were combined and then treated with Norite, filtered through a pad of celite and then after evaporation at reduced pressure there was obtained 91.3 g of pure 13 (82%).

Provenance & Evidence