Isotopic purity

It has been reported that exchange of protons activated by enolization can be performed directly in a glass inlet system of the mass spectrometer prior to analysis by heating the sample at about 200° with deuterium oxide vapor for a few minutes. " Exchange has been observed with 2-, 3-, 6-, 11- and 17-keto steroids, but the resulting isotopic purity is usually poor,... 

A solution of estradiol (38, 15 mg) in methanol-OD (4 ml) and one drop of 10% deuteriosulfuric acid in deuterium oxide is heated under reflux for 5 days. After cooling the reaction mixture is diluted with ether, washed with dilute sodium bicarbonate solution and water, then dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate. Evaporation of the ether gives crystalline 2,4-d2-estradiol (39, 15 mg, 99%), mp 173-175° (ether-hexane), exhibiting 82% isotopic purity and only one aromatic hydrogen by NMR. (For an experimental procedure describing the exchange of aromatic protons under Clemmensen conditions, see section III-D.)... 

The isotopic purity of the products from a lithium aluminum deuteride reduction is usually equivalent to that of the reagent. The presence of moisture has little effect on the isotope composition of the products, causing only the decomposition of some of the reagent. For the best results, however, it is advisable to distill the solvent— usually ether, tetrahydrofuran or dioxane depending on the desired reaction temperature—from lithium aluminum hydride directly into the reaction flask. In this manner the reduction of 3-keto-5a-steroids (60), for example, gives the corresponding 3a-di alcohols (61) in 98% isotopic purity. ... 

This reaction is especially well suited for the reduction of tertiary aldehydes which have no activated a-hydrogens. In this case only two deuteriums are incorporated in place of the carbonyl oxygen. The reduction of 12-methoxypodocarpa-8,ll,13-trien-17-al (82) provides an illustrative example. After back exchange of the aromatic deuteriums, the isotopic purity of the resulting dideuterio reduction product (83) is 92%. ... 

The successful preparation of Il,ll-d2-5l5-androstan-3o -oh and 11,11-d2-(25R)-5a-spirostane in 83% and 91% isotopic purity by Raney nickel treatment of the 11,1 l-d2-12-ethylene thioketal derivatives further confirms the low degree of isotope scrambling with C-12 keto steroids. 

To obtain a good yield and high isotopic purity, it is more important to carry out the preparation and purification of the Raney nickel as fast as possible (in 30 min or less) than to wash the nickel free of sodium deuteroxide. 

The treatment of ketoximes with lithium aluminum hydride is usually a facile method for the conversion of ketones into primary amines, although in certain cases secondary amine side products are also obtained. Application of this reaction to steroidal ketoximes, by using lithium aluminum deuteride and anhydrous ether as solvent, leads to epimeric mixtures of monodeuterated primary amines the ratio of the epimers depends on the position of the oxime function. An illustrative example is the preparation of the 3(x-dj- and 3j5-di-aminoandrostane epimers (113 and 114, R = H) in isotopic purities equal to that of the reagent. 

The most commonly used catalysts are palladized charcoal or calcium carbonate and platinum oxide. For better isotopic purity, the use of platinum oxide may be preferred for certain olefins since the substrate undergoes fewer side reactions while being chemisorbed on the platinum surface as compared to palladium.Suitable solvents are cyclohexane, ethyl acetate, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane or acetic acid-OD with platinum oxide. 

A solution of 4,4-dimethyl-5a-androst-l-en-3-one (128, 14 mg) in cyclohexane (3 ml) is stirred in a microhydrogenation apparatus in the presence of 10 % palladium-on-charcoal (15 mg) at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. The uptake of one eq of deuterium (1.15 ml) is complete in about 1 min and no more deuterium is consumed. After 5 min the catalyst is removed by filtration, and the solvent evaporated under reduced pressure. The resulting l<, 2< -d2-4,4-dimethyl-5a-androstan-3-one (129, 13 mg, 93%), mp 120-122°, exhibits 87% isotopic purity and 13% d species. ... 

This reaction sequence proceeds by cis addition of deuterium and the reduction products usually exhibit high isotopic purity. For example, 5a-cholest-2-ene (136), which is known to give a product of very unsatisfactory isotopic purity when deuterated with heterogeneous catalysts (see section V-A), gives 2<, 3 -d2-5a-cholestane (137) with better than 95% isotopic purity in homogeneous solution. ... 

Homogeneous catalytic deuteration of various unsaturated 5a-spirostane derivatives is an excellent method for the preparation of side chain labeled analogs. Thus, saturation of the double bonds at positions 20(21), 23 and 24 provided the corresponding deuterated compounds (144), (145) and (146) in high isotopic purity. The preparation of (146) is a rare example of the saturation of an isolated trisubstituted double bond in the steroid field. 

A pertinent example is the reduction of 5a-androst-8-en-l 1-one (154) which yields 8 -di-5a-androstan-l 1-one (155) in 93% isotopic purity. Saturation of A -6-keto steroids gives equally good results for labeling the 8/5-position. ... 

A recent modification of this technique utilizes A,A-d2-propylamine as the solvent for the lithium reduction, thereby eliminating the inconveniences associated with the preparation and handling of liquid deuterioammonia. Under these conditions the reaction can be carried out at room temperature and less overreduction of the carbonyl group is observed. For example, the reduction of A" -3-keto steroids (159) under these conditions, followed by back exchange in protic media, leads to the corresponding 5a-di-3-ketones (160) which exhibit good isotopic purity. ... 

The successful labeling of the elusive 14a-position in cholestane represents a very important application of this reaction.It is known that hydroboration of the double bond in 5of-cholest-14-ene (174) occurs on the a-side. Consequently, by using deuteriodiborane (generated by the reaction of boron trifluoride etherate with lithium aluminum deuteride) and then propionic acid for hydrolysis of the alkylborane intermediate, 14a-d,-5a-cholestane (175) is obtained in 90% isotopic purity. This method also provides a facile route to the C-15 labeled analog (176) when the alkylborane derived from 5a-cholest-14-ene is hydrolyzed with propionic acid-OD. ... 

Similar treatment of (25R)-5a-spirost-14-ene with deuteriodiborane and subsequent hydrolysis with propionic acid lead to 14jS-di-(25R)-spirostane in 79% isotopic purity. ... 

Some advantages of this reaction are high yield if the tosylate is in a sterically accessible position excellent isotopic purity of the product (usually higher than-95%) and perhaps most important, access to stereospecifically labeled methylene derivatives. For example, deuteride displacement of 3j -tosylates (183) yields the corresponding Sa-d derivative (185) in 96-98% isotopic purity. Application of this method to the labeled sulfonate (184), obtained. by lithium aluminum deuteride reduction of a 3-ketone precursor (see section HI-A) followed by tosylation, provides an excellent synthesis of 3,3-d2 labeled steroids (186) without isotopic scrambling at the adjacent positions. The only other method which provides products of comparable isotopic purity at this position is the reduction of the tosyl-hydrazone derivative of 3-keto steroids (section IV-B). 

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