Carboxamide formation in less favoured positions: Facile synthesis of 7-carboxamidochenodeoxycholanic acid derivatives.

The sterically highly un-favoured position-7 of a steroidal skeleton was functionalised in a reaction sequence of conventional synthetic reactions and palladium-catalysed aminocarbonylation. The synthesis was based on the use of chenodeoxycholanic acid as starting material, which was transformed to 24-carboxamide, followed by oxidation of 7-hydroxy group. The resulting 7-oxo functionality was converted to the corresponding iodoalkene by the Barton's method. The 7-iodo-6-ene functionality underwent high-yielding aminocarbonylation in the presence of palladium-phosphine in situ catalysts and various amines as N -nucleophiles. The new 7-carboxamido compounds were obtained in good isolated yields, via highly chemoselective reactions, under relatively mild conditions. [Display omitted] • A novel synthetic route to obtain steroids functionalised in un-favoured position-7. • Functional group tolerance in palladium-catalysed aminocarbonylation of iodoalkenes. • Efficient synthesis of 7-carboxamidocholanes based on easily available starting material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]