Acetic acid Aldosterone

Further, acetic acid lip-hydroxy-3,18,20-trione-pregn-4-ene lip,18-lactone 17-oxoethyl ether has been converted to lip-hydroxy-18-one-pregn-4-ene lip,18-lactone-3,20-bis-ethylenketal 17-oxoethyl ether, which was reduced with lithium-aluminum hydride to 3,20-bis-ethylenketal aldosterone. Then by hydrolisation of 3,20-bis-ethylenketal aldosterone with FICI04 aldosterone can be obtained. 

The reduction of the lactone grouping of compound (119) required the preliminary protection of the two keto groups. Reaction with ethylene glycol formed the diketal, the controlled reduction of which with lithium aluminum hydride enabled the cyclohemiacetal (118) to be obtained. In itself, the reduction takes place with a high yield and the main difficulty is the deketalization of the extremely unstable compound (118). Consequently, the products of lithium aluminum hydride reduction were immediately acetylated with acetic anhydride to a mixture of the 21-mono-and 18,21-diacetates. Hydrolysis of this mixture with 90% acetic acid at 100 C led to the 21-acetate of dl -aldosterone (123). Deacetylation of the latter with potassium carbonate gave not only dl -aldosterone (124) with a yield of 50%, but also its 17o -epimer. Natural -aldosterone was obtained by the same route from the tZ-enantiomer of (119). By Wettstein s first method (Scheme 66), cZZ-aldosterone (124) was formed from Sarett s ketone (67) in 22 stages with an over-all yield of 1.7%. 

A photochemical partial synthesis of aldosterone (19) made the hormone available on an industrial scale for the first time (114). Corticosterone acetate (51 acetate) is treated with nitrosyl chloride in pyridine at 20°C to yield the 11-nitrite (115). Irradiation of (115) leads to rearrangement with formation of the C g-oxime (116). Removal of the oxime residue with nitrous acid furnishes aldosterone (19) in excellent yield. 

Aldosterone Aldosterone, llj3,21-dihydroxypregn-4-en-2,18,20-trione (27.2.4), is synthesized from 21-0-acetylcorticosterone, which when reacted with nitrosyl chloride in pyridine gives the nitrite 27.2.1. When photochemically irradiated, this compound is transformed to the oxime 27.2.2, which is hydrolyzed by nitrous acid and forms the semiacetal 27.2.3, which is an acetate of the desired aldosterone. Alkaline hydrolysis of the acetyl group of this compound leads to the desired aldosterone (27.2.4) [33]. 

Among the numerous applications of this reaction reported over four decades, some typical examples of the functionalization are outlined in Schemes 3 to 10. Thus, Scheme 3 outlines the well-known Barton transformation of corticosterone acetate nitrite into aldosterone acetate oxime which, with nitrous acid, gives aldosterone 12-acetate [4]. The yield of 18-oxime is, however, rather low (21 %), since attack by the 11/3-alkoxyl radical on C-19 competes with the desired attack on C-18. Incorporation of the 1,2-double bond into the nitrite prevented undesired C-19 attack by the radical and a far better yield (47 %) of 18-oxime was achieved [5] (Scheme 4). This example may indicate that the Barton reaction is sensitive to... 

The importance of conformation in selective attack of the 1 l/ -alkoxy radical on C18 and C19 was nicely illustrated by the photolysis of the nitrite 18 derived from the dienone 19. This afforded only C18 attack.7 Treatment of the derived oxime with nitrous acid gave 1-dehydro-aldosterone acetate 20. This is a convenient precursor for labelled aldosterone acetate since selective hydrogenation with tritium gives 1,2-ditritiated aldosterone acetate. 

Barton reaction In the Barton reaction " a methyl group in the 7 -position to an OH group is converted into an oxime group. For example, corticosterone acetate (2.45) on reaction with nitrosyl chloride (NOCl) in pyridine forms its 1 l -nitrite 2.46, which on photolysis in toluene gives aldosterone acetate oxime (2.47) in 21% yield. Treatment of 2.47 with nitrous acid (HNO2) gives aldosterone acetate (2.48) (Scheme 2.40). 

During the latter stages of work on the components in adrenal extracts a highly active substance, aldosterone (57) was isolated having the structure shown. Starting from the 21-acetate of corticosterone a compact synthesis of this compound was developed (ref. 54) as shown involving initial treatment with nitrosyl chloride followed by nitrous acid. 

This step proceeds through the hydroxy-7V-acetate (418), which undergoes rearrangement in acetic anhydride-sodium acetate to give the iV-acetyl-acetate (419). Further simple steps afforded 1,2-didehydroaldosterone 18,21-diacetate (420), permitting tritiation to produce radioactive-labelled aldosterone. Several oxidations of the nitrone (417) are also described Jones chromic acid in aqueous acetone... 

A classic example of the Barton reaction is the key step in a synthesis of the acetate 24 of aldosterone, a hormone of the adrenal cortex (4.24). Photolysis of the nitrite 22 provided the oxime 23, which on hydrolysis with nitrous acid gave aldosterone-21-acetate direetly. In this case the yield is limited in part by competing... 

These examples are the most weU-known applications of the reaction found by Barton as well as by his colleagues. The irradiation of corticosterone acetate nitrite affords aldosterone acetate oxime, which with nitrous acid gives aldosterone 12-acetate (Scheme 13). The overall yield, however, is rather low (15%) because an attack by the lip-alkoxyl radical on C19 competes with the desired attack on CIS. The incorporation of the 1,2-double bond into the nitrite could avoid an undesired C19 attack by the radical a far better yield (47%) of 19-oxime was achieved, as shown in Scheme 14. These examples of the functionalization may indicate that the Barton reaction is sensitive to structural changes and that the distance and conformation requirements between the alkoxyl radical and the methyl group, which are in a 1,3-diaxial relationship, is rather strict (Scheme 14). 

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