Reactivity of 5,10:8,14-Disecosteroids: An unusual rearrangement of cyclodecene-1,4-dione systems to five-membered-ring spiro-γ-lactones

Upon heating in AcOH, the stereoisomeric (Z)- and (R)-6,9-dioxocyclodex-3-enyl derivatives, 5 and 6 , respectively, obtained by HgO/I₂ oxidation of 5-hydroxy-8-oxo-8,14-seco-5α-androstane-3β,17β-diyl diacetate ( 3 ), undergo an unusual intramolecular rearrangement to give the corresponding unsaturated (5R,9R)- and (5R,9S)-spiro-lactones 7 and 8 , respectively. Hydroxylation of the C?C bond in 7 and 8 , and subsequent glycol cleavage of the resulting diols 9 and 10 afforded the epimeric spiro-lactones (5R,9S)- 11 and (5R,9R)- 14 , respectively, and in both cases, the ring-D-containing fragments 12 and 13 .