ChemInform Abstract: Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Vitamin D Analogs

Recent advances in the methodology for the synthesis of vitamin D analogs are reviewed. The synthetic methods of vitamin D are classified into three types of the approaches ; (1) conversions from steroid compounds (2) convergent synthesis (3) partial conversions from readily available vitamin D2 or D3. Their merits and demerits are discussed by using some examples from recent literatures (mainly after 1985). Modifications of vitamin D by fluorine atom (s) are also discussed briefly.