Reactions of steroidal 5,6-epoxides and cyclohexene oxide with aluminum alkoxides
The isomeric 5,6α- and 5,6β-epoxycholestanes, in addition to an analogous series of compounds substituted at C-3 with hydroxy (α or β stereochemistry) or ethylene ketal groups, have been treated with aluminum isopropoxide or tert-butoxide. The latter series of reactions did not give identifiable material, but aluminum isopropoxide gave products derived from epoxide opening and rearrangement in all cases. With epoxides unsubstituted at C-3, aluminum isopropoxide functioned as a Lewis acid in promoting epoxide rearrangements. In the presence of a C-3 alcohol function, additional products were obtained arising from fragmentation of the C-4,C-5 bond, or from β-elimination of the epoxide involving the loss of a C-7 hydrogen. Meerwein–Pondorff reduction of product carbonyl groups was also observed. C-3 ketal substituted epoxides were rearranged cleanly to 6-hydroxy-Δ4-3-ketones. Cyclohexene oxide reacted with aluminum isopropoxide (but not with tert-butoxide) to give two products arising from epoxide addition reactions. Structures for these products are proposed based on their 13C nmr spectra, and a possible route for their formation is presented. None of the epoxides examined in this study reacted with magnesium methoxide.