Steroid electrophilic

A direct, one-step aromatization of 19-substituted steroids has appeared in the Hterature, ie, cholesterol (3), dehydroisoandrosterone, androsterone, progesterone (1), and testosterone react with an electrophilic mthenium complex, C Ru , where Cp represents Tj -cyclopentadienyl, obtained through protonation of [Cp Ru(OCH2)]2 using triflic acid, to provide estrone (20) directly (46). 

Fluoroxytrifluoromethane, a source of electrophilic fluorine, has recently been employed by Barton et al. for the fluorination of unsaturated steroids. ... 

As electrophilic substitutes for peracids, the use of borate ester induced decomposition of alkyl hydroperoxides and molybdenum VI peroxy-complexes have been reported in the recent literature. Although these reagents have led to the epoxidation of olefins in greater than 90% yield there are no reports yet of their application to steroid olefins. 

Double bonds in a,/3-unsaturated keto steroids can be selectively oxidized with alkaline hydrogen peroxide to yield epoxy ketones. In contrast to the electrophilic addition mechanism of peracids, the mechanism of alkaline epoxidation involves nucleophilic attack of hydroperoxide ion on the con-... 

Iodine azide, on the other hand, forms pure adducts with A -, A - and A -steroids by a mechanism analogous to that proposed for iodine isocyanate additions. Reduction of such adducts can lead to aziridines. However, most reducing agents effect elimination of the elements of iodine azide from the /mwj -diaxial adducts of the A - and A -olefins rather than reduction of the azide function to the iodo amine. Thus, this sequence appears to be of little value for the synthesis of A-, B- or C-ring aziridines. It is worthy to note that based on experience with nonsteroidal systems the application of electrophilic reducing agents such as diborane or lithium aluminum hydride-aluminum chloride may yet prove effective for the desired reduction. Lithium aluminum hydride accomplishes aziridine formation from the A -adducts, Le., 16 -azido-17a-iodoandrostanes (97) in a one-step reaction. The scope of this addition has been considerably enhanced by the recent... 

An ingenious approach to the synthesis of steroids incorporating a tropone A ring has been developed by Birch and co-workers. Addition of dibromocarbene to 3-methoxyestra-2,5(10)-dien-17-one 17-ethylene ketal (42) gives a monodibromocarbene adduct formulated as (43) accompanied by a minor amount of a bisadduct. This confirms earlier observations that electrophilic halocarbenes add mainly to 2,3- or 2,5-dihydroanisoles at the double bond bearing the methoxyl group. 

In other work Rozen added molecular fluorine to a steroidal ene-one dissolved in ethanol at low temperatures to produce a vicinal difluonde in a cleaner, better yield reaction than previously obtainable [55] Although the reaction was not general, the stereoselectivity was very high, and contrary to addition of other halogens, addition was r>ii, characteristic of an electrophilic addition pathway... 

The selectivity for two-alkyne annulation can be increased by involving an intramolecular tethering of the carbene complex to both alkynes. This was accomplished by the synthesis of aryl-diynecarbene complexes 115 and 116 from the triynylcarbene complexes 113 and 114, respectively, and Danishefsky s diene in a Diels-Alder reaction [70a]. The diene adds chemoselectively to the triple bond next to the electrophilic carbene carbon. The thermally induced two-alkyne annulation of the complexes 115 and 116 was performed in benzene and yielded the steroid ring systems 117 and 118 (Scheme 51). This tandem Diels-Alder/two-alkyne annulation, which could also be applied in a one-pot procedure, offers new strategies for steroid synthesis in the class O—>ABCD. 

Oxidation of the steroidal olefin (XXVII) with thallium(III) acetate gives mainly the allylic acetates (XXXI)-(XXXIII) (Scheme 15), again indicating that trans oxythallation is the preferred reaction course (19). Addition of the electrophile takes place from the less-hindered a-side of the molecule to give the thallinium ion (XXVIII), which by loss of a proton from C-4 would give the alkylthallium diacetate (XXIX). Decomposition of this intermediate by a Type 5 process is probably favorable, as it leads to the resonance-stabilized allylic carbonium ion (XXX), from which the observed products can be derived. Evidence in support of the decomposition process shown in Scheme 15 has been obtained from a study of the exchange reaction between frawr-crotylmercuric acetate and thallium(III) acetate in acetic acid (Scheme 16) (142). 

Because the reactive intermediate 1277 and methanesulfenyl chloride 1278 are electrophiles, they can react with olefins [72-75]. Thus d -steroids give rise to 6-)9-methylmercapto-zl" -steroids [74]. trans-6-Phenylcyclohex-3-ene-3-carboxyUc add 1291 reacts with DMSO/MesSiBr 16 to form, via 1292, the lactone 1293 in 87% yield, whereas attempted bromolactonization of 1291 affords only 59% 1294 [75] (Scheme 8.29). 

Most of the more recently described allenic steroids bear an allene group at the 17-position, which was usually formed by an SN2 substitution [106] or reduction [86d] process of a suitable propargylic electrophile. Thus, reduction of the pro-pargylic ether 109 with lithium aluminum hydride followed by deprotection of the silyl ether resulted in the formation of the allenic steroid 110, which irreversibly inhibits the biosynthesis of the insect moulting hormone ecdysone (Scheme 18.35) [107]. 

The mechanism of action of CYPs is radical rather than electrophilic and the actual substitution pattern is important the role of chlorine is one of blocking rather than deactivation. Many non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are substrates for the... 

Electrophilic additions to carbocations in terpenoid and steroid biosynthesis... 

By far the most impressive example of electrophilic addition in natural prodnct formation is in the biosynthesis of steroids. The snbstrate sqnalene oxide is cyclized to lanosterol in a process catalysed by a single enzyme. Lanosterol is then converted into the primary animal-steroid cholesterol. Sqnalene oxide comes from sqnalene, which is itself formed throngh a combination of two molecules of farnesyl diphosphate. 

When intermediate 274 reacted with ketones 133 (from D-glucose) or 270 (from D-fructose), mixed steroid-sugar compounds 278 and 279 were, respectively, obtained in low yields (10-16%). In addition, the use of protected estrone 280 (precursor of the epoxide 272) as electrophile allows the preparation of the dimeric steroid 281 in 26% yield. The low yields obtained for compounds 278, 279 and 281 are due to extensive decomposition during their column chromatographic purification. 

Abstract Bismuth(III) salts are currently considered efficient and ecofriendly reagents and catalysts for the development of new applications in organic synthesis. The preparation of bismuth(III) triflate and its analogues is reviewed as well as some of their applications to the synthesis of bulk chemicals via electrophilic addition and cyclization reactions. The use of bismuth(III) salts in the development of new chemical processes involving steroids and terpenes as substrates is also discussed. 

This chapter is an update (2003 to present) of the main applications of Bi(III) Lewis acids in organic synthesis developed and, in some cases, co-developed, by French and Portuguese research groups. Thus, in this chapter, the preparation of Bi(III) catalysts and their application to chemical transformations ranging from electrophilic addition to cyclization reactions, will be reviewed. The development of new environmentally friendly chemical processes, using Bi(III) reagents and catalysts, with direct application to steroid chemistry and related compounds will also be considered. 

Bromo [ F]fluoride is different from the other electrophilic radiolabelling agents discussed so far in the sense that the electrophilic part of the molecule is not fluorine but bromine. This is reflected by its synthesis from nucleophilic p F]fluoride and it can be obtained in high specific radioactivity. Bromo p F]fluoride was developed for fluorine-18 labelling of steroids (see Section 3.2) [64-66]. It was prepared (Scheme 11) in situ by reaction of dried p Fjfluoride with 1,3-dibromo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin and sulphuric acid in dichloromethane containing also the substrate. 

Fluasterone is a stable adrenocortical steroid, a 16a-fluoro analogue of prasteron [dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)j. It is currently developed (phase II) for the treatment of metabolic syndrome (i.e. insulin resistance). Electrophilic... 

A detailed examination of OSO4 reactions with A -steroids has been reported." The A-ring conformation of the reactant or derived complex is important in determining the stereoselectivity of these reactions, and the major role of the proximate substituents is to anchor the appropriate conformation favouring a- or /3-attack. Studies on the stereochemistry of electrophilic attack on cholest-5-en-3-one continue." As with bromine chloride," appreciable /3-attack occurs and the 5/3,6j8-epoxide was isolated along with the previously reported 5a,6a-epoxide and the Baeyer-Villiger product, the A-homo-enol lactone (58). Base-catalysed... 

Electrophilic trifluoromethylation is still of minor importance in synthetic applications. The limited efficiency and the cost of the reagents able to transfer a CF3 cation are important obstacles for the development of this approach. However, CF3-S" -type reagents can react with activated enolates under Lewis acid catalysis. A recent and promising result shows that, when the reaction is performed under UV irradiation, yields significantly increase. This can lead to synthetic applications, as exemplified by the recent preparation of 7-CF3 steroids (Figure 2.37). ... 

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