Oxidation, Dehydrogenation, and Fluorination of Steroids

Some plant and animal steroids occur in large quantities and can be used as inexpensive starting materials for pharmaceutically useful steroid hormones (see table 22). 

The major problem in such conversions is the degradation of the branched carbon side-chain on C-17 which is present in all abundant steroids and lacking in all steroid hormones. The most important starting material used in industry today is diosgenin from the Mexican dioscorea plant. It is degraded by the method of Marker to 16-dehydropregnenolone in 45% total yield. This compound is a key substance in the production of several hormones with anabolic, catabolic, and sexual effects. 

Stigmasterol from soy bean extracts can be selectively ozonolyzed on the side-chain double bond. The 20-formyl group formed is converted to the enamine with piperidine. This can be oxidized to progesterone. 

The most abundant natural steroid is cholesterol. It can be obtained in large quantides from wool fat (15%) or from brain or spinal chord tissues of fat stock (2-4%) by extraction with chlorinated hydrocarbons. Its saturated side-chain can be removed by chromium trioxide oxidation, but the yield of such reactions could never be raised above 8% (see page 118f.). 

Yields up to 50% are obtained in a remote oxidation procedure developed by Bres-low. If, for example, the hydroxyl group of 3er-stigmastanol is esterified with 4 - 

---