Androstanone synthesis

Alkali metal salts of selenol can also be used in the synthesis of selenol esters. Axial and equatorial selenol esters of cholestane and androstanone have been prepared from the potassium salt (7) and benzoyl chloride (Scheme 2 illustrates the axial isomer). ... 

In 1992 Heathcock and Smith developed efficient routes for the synthesis of symmetrical and unsymmetrical bis-steroidal pyrazines from readily available precursors such as 3-cholestanone and androstanone (40). In a later publication they synthesized the unsymmetrical bis-steroidal pyrazines by the reaction of appropriate a-acetoxy ketones with a-amino oximes. Heating either 2/3,17/3-dihydroxyandrostan-3-one diacetate or 2/3-17/3-dihydroxyhecogenin-3-one diacetate with 2-amino-3-methoxyimino-cholestane in toluene at 145°C gave the corresponding symmetrical pyrazine in moderate yields. 

Many of the organic contaminants which were found in Lippe river water were also present in the source samples (see Table 3). The sewage effluent sample and the Seseke river showed the best accordance with the compound spectrum of the Lippe river. However, also in the two tributaries from the rural upper reaches of the river, numerous specific contaminants like 9-methylacridine (No. 8), alkyl phosphates (Nos. 31, 32) and chlorinated alkyl phosphates (Nos. 34, 36) appeared. In the effluent of a pharmaceutical plant, only a few Lippe river contaminants like n-alkanes (No. 1), naphthalene (No. 3), TXIB (No. 21) and caffeine (No. 67) were detected (see Table 3). Therein, mainly structural relatives of androstanone like 3p-hydroxy-5p-androstan-17-one, 3a-hydroxy-5p-androstan-17-one and androstan-50-3,17-dione were present. These compounds are probably by-products of the synthesis of hormone preparations. Some polycyclic aromatic compounds, halogenated compounds and terpenoids were not detected in the source samples (see the underlined compounds in Table 3) and probably have another origin. Representative sampling of various input sources have to be carried out to prove the origin of these compounds. Hexachlorobutadiene (No. 38) and bis(chloropropyl)ethers (No. 44) appear exclusively at the lower reaches of the Lippe river (see Table 1), downstream the chemical plants in Marl. They are attributed to inputs of the chlorochemical industry (see section 3.1). Hence, this suggests their input by an industrial point source. 

The metriod constitutes a novel route to polysubstituted cyclopen-tanones [88], as illustrated here by the synthesis of a precursor of androstanone (38) [89]. 

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