Cleavage of Ring a and Formation of an Unusual Nor-Triterpene Skeleton Via the Baeyer-Villiger Reaction

Abstract

With the aim to generate a compound library for our biological screening studies, cycloastragenol was subjected to chemical transformation studies. The Baeyer-Villiger oxidation experiments provided an interesting 3,5-seco-4-nor-triterpene skeleton via ring opening followed by an unusual rearrangement. A new methodology is described for transforming triterpenoids into 3,5-seco-4-nor derivatives.