A novel and easy protocol to obtain 6-alkoxy-Δ-diene-3-one derivatives from available sterols.

Herein we report an unprecedented and efficient methodology for accessing 6-alkoxy-Δ-diene-3-one derivatives. Such scaffolds were serendipitously obtained in the course of the study of the reaction of Δ-3-keto steroids with catalytic amounts of iodine in refluxing methanol. A series of 6-methoxy and 6-ethoxy- Δ-diene-3-ones were prepared from easily-available sterols in a two-step sequence; first, oxidation of sterols furnished the Δ-3-keto steroids, which were then refluxed with ethanol or methanol with I as catalyst to obtain a series of ten derivatives.