Bisannulation reagent

The method was applied to the synthesis of (-t-)-l9-nortestosterone by the following sequence of reactions. Michael addition of the bisannulation reagent 124 to the optically active keto ester 129 and decarboxylation afforded 130, and subsequent aldol condensation gave 131. Selective Pd-catalyzed oxidation of the terminal double bond afforded the diketone 132 in 78% yield. Reduction of the double bond and aldol condensation gave ( + )-19-nortestosterone (133)[114]. 

The trisannulation reagent 7-acetoxy-l,l l-dodecadien-3-one (134) is derived from the bisannulation reagent 124 in four steps. This reagent is a synthetic equivalent of l-dodecene-3,7,11-trione, and the two ketone groups of the trione are masked as an acetoxy and a terminal alkene. The synthesis of optically active D-homo-19-norandrosta-4-en-3-one (135) by the trisannulation reaction... 

The reaction is very slow in acetic acid alone, and accelerated as acetate by the addition of bases [59]. These two isomers undergo Pd-catalysed allylic rearrangement with each other. 3-Acetoxy-l,7-octadiene (139) is converted to the allylic alcohol 157 and to the enone 158, which is used as a bisannulation reagent [60], Thus Michael addition of 158 to 2-methylcyclopentanedione (159) and aldol condensation give 160. The terminal alkene is oxidized using PdCl2/CuCl/02 to the methyl ketone 161. After reduction of the double bond in 161, aldol condensation affords the tricyclic system 162. 

The l-ene-3-one part-structure in 62 can be utilized in Michael addition reactions and subsequently the remaining double bond can be oxidized to methyl ketone, making 62 a bisannulation reagent synthetically equivalent to 7-octene-... 

In the route just described (CD — ABCD), the bisannulation reagent 62 is the source of rings A and B. In an alternative, somewhat more involved, approach (D - BCD — ABCD Scheme 10), reagent 62 is the source of rings B and C. 

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