Transformed steroids 117. Synthesis of 5α-hydroxy-6-oxosteroids with a δ-lactone ring E

The paper is devoted to the synthesis of steroidal 5-hydroxy-6-oxolactones from ethyl esters of 5,6-dienic acids. By epoxidating the latter it has been shown that, in addition to the usual formation of 5,6-oxides, opening of the 16, 17-oxide ring initially formed takes place and this is accompanied by intramolecular cyclization to a 17,20-dihydroxy--lactone. The trans-opening of the 5,6-epoxide in the epoxy--lactone and subsequent oxidation with N-bromosuccinimide has led to a new representative of steroidal -lactones — the 23,16--lactone of the 3-acetate of 3, 5, 16, 17, 20-pentahydroxy-6-oxo-24-norcholan-23-oic acid.N. D. Zelinskii Institute of Organic Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 2, pp. 208–213, March–April, 1980.