On the hydrolysis of diethyl 2-(perfluorophenyl)malonate

Diethyl 2-(perfluorophenyl)malonate was synthesized in 47% isolated yield by the reaction of sodium diethyl malonate and hexafluorobenzene. The resulting compound was considered as a starting material for synthesizing 2-(perfluorophenyl)malonic acid by hydrolysis. It was found that the desired 2-(perfluorophenyl)malonic acid could not be obtained from this ester by hydrolysis, neither under basic nor under acidic conditions. Nevertheless, hydrolysis of the ester with a mixture of HBr and AcOH gave 2-(perfluorophenyl)acetic acid in a good preparative yield of 63%. A significant advantage of this new approach to 2-(perfluorophenyl)acetic acid is that handling toxic substances such as cyanides and perfluorinated benzyl halides is avoided.

Preparation and absolute configuration at C(20) of 21-nor-5α-cholan-24→20-olide derivatives

The lactones X and XI were obtained on reaction of the aldehyde III with lithium salt of methyl propionate followed by hydrogenation of the intermediary esters IV and V. Treatment of the epoxides XXI and XXII with dilithium salt of acetic acid yielded the lactones X and XI. These lactones were also obtained by reaction of the epoxides XXI and XXII with sodium diethyl malonate through intermediates XXIII and XXV. The preparation of α-methylene lactones XXVII and XXVIII is also described. The 20R configuration was established for the lactones X, XXIII and XXVII while the lactones XI, XXV and XXVIII were assigned the 20S configuration both on the basis of 1H-NMR spectra and chemical correlations.