Stereocontrolled Total Synthesis of 1α,25-Dihydroxycholecalciferol and 1α,25-Dihydroxyergocalciferol

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo00366a004

1α,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (4) and 1α,25-dihydroxyergocalciferol (7), the hormonally active forms of vitamin D₃ (1) and vitamin D₂ (5), were synthesized by a Horner-Wittig reaction of the phosphine oxide 11 with the ketones 10 and 12, respectively.The synthon 11 was obtained by a sequence that involves the stereospecific opening of epoxide 15, with sodium acetate in acetic acid, followed by oxidative degradation of the isopropenyl side chain and dehydration of the intermediate 22.Photoisomerisation of the resulting 23 gave 24, which was finally converted to 11.The hydroxylated ketone 10 was obtained from the known intermediate 28.The introduction of the 25-hydroxy side chain was achieved by reaction of the lithium derivative of 30 with the tosylate 29 to give 31, which was catalytically hydrogenated to 32 and then converted to 10.The ketone 12 was prepared by a stereocontrolled route that involves as the key step, the <3+2> dipolar cycloaddition of nitrone 35 with methyl 3,3-dimethylacrylate (36) to give a 1:1 mixture of isoxazolidines 37 and 38.Stereochemical control was achieved by taking advantage of the thermal reversibility of the cycloaddition, which allows the reequilibration of undesired 37.Isoxazolidine 38 was readily transformed to 43 by reduction, followed by elimination of the nitrogen function, and finally oxidation to 12.