Conformations of the 10-membered Ring in 5, 10-Secosteroids. II. (E)-3α-Acetoxy-5, 10-seco-1 (10)-cholesten-5-one and (E)-5, 10-seco-1 (10)-cholestene-3, 5-dione

(E)-3α-Acetoxy-5, 10-seco-1(10)-cholesten-5-one ( 3 ) was synthesized by fragmentation of 3α-acetoxy-5α-cholestan-5-ol ( 1 ) using the photochemical version [3] of the lead tetraacetate reaction [4], and transformed into the corresponding 3-oxo-compound ( 5 ). Two conformations ( A and B ) were deduced for the 10-membered ring of 3 by analysis of the ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR. spectra in toluene. The major conformation ( A ) corresponds to that found in the solid state by X-ray analysis. According to its NMR. spectra in toluene, the medium-sized ring of the diketone 5 exists also predominantly in two conformations, the major one being analogous to A (the solid-state conformation of the 3β-acetoxy isomer ( 9 ) [1]) and the minor one to A (see above). The stereochemistry of the acidcatalyzed and thermal cyclisations of 3 as well as of the corresponding 5-oxime is discussed in terms of conformational factors.