Hecogenin acetate (
1) was converted to North 1 azidoketone
5 involving several key transformations: (1) conversion of cyclic sulfate
33b to allylic alcohol
40 via Reich iodoso olefination; (2) E-ring annulationvia intermolecular oxygen alkylation of highly functionalized secondary alcohol
40 using rhodium-catalyzeddecomposition of an
-diazophosphonoacetate to provide
-alkoxyphosphonoacetate
52, with subsequentintramolecular Wadsworth-Emmons reaction to provide alkoxydihydrofuran
53; and (3) establishment of theC20 stereochemistry by chromium(II) reduction of tertiary bromide
86 to a 9:1 mixture of diastereomericspiroketals
90/90, separated as silyl ethers
91/91. Conversion of
91 to
-azidoketone
5 was uneventful.