Oxidation of Ring-A Aromatic Steroids

This thesis is concerned with a study of the oxidation of ring-A aromatic steroids using either chromium trioxide-aqueous sulphuric acid-acetone or chromium trioxide-aqueous acetic acid mixtures. It was found that chromic acid oxidation of ring-A aromatic steroids substituted with a strong electron-donating group, gives rise to products with the site of oxidation being predominantly that para to the activating group. Thus C-3 methoxy ring-A aromatic steroids give the corresponding 9b-hydroxy-11-oxo and 9-oxo-9,11-seco-11-oic acid derivatives as the major products and the 6-oxo derivative as a minor oxidation product. However, a ketol was not formed if a C-3 methoxy ring-A aromatic steroid also contained a substituent at C-1. The C-1-methoxy-4-methyl ring-A aromatic steroids give the 4-carboxy derivative as the major product and again the 6-oxo compound as a minor neutral product. The acetoxy and methyl substituted ring-A aromatic steroids, however, all give rise to the 6-oxo derivatives as the major products. The usual oxidation product of a ring-A aromatic steroid is therefore the 6-oxo product unless it is substituted with a methoxy group in a position which will stabilise an electron deficiency at a site other than C-6. Oxidation will then occur predominantly at the stabilised site unless it is sterically blocked.

Name thesis:degree_name

PhD

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Chemistry

Grantor dc:publisher

ResearchSpace@Auckland

Year dc:date.issued

1969

Author dc:creator

• Carlisle, Valerie F.

Statement dc:rights

• Items in ResearchSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/docs/uoa-docs/rights.htm

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2292/2484

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:researchspace.auckland.ac.nz:2292/2484