Patent ID: 7838694

Claim:
A process comprising: preparing 10-deacetylbaccatin III by (1) providing an initial mixture comprising 9-dihydro-13-acetylbaccatin III, and at least one additional taxane selected from paclitaxel, 10-deacetylbaccatin III, baccatin III, cephalomannine, 10-deacetyl taxol, 7-xylosyl taxol and 10-deacetyl-7-xylosyl taxol; (2) prior to steps 3, 4 and 5, cleaving the ester linkages at the C-10 and C-13 positions of each taxane in the initial mixture having an ester linkage at one or both of the C-10 and C-13 positions to yield a first intermediate mixture of C-10 and C-13 deprotected taxanes; (3) separating the taxanes in the first intermediate mixture having a keto substituent at the C-9 position from the taxanes in the first intermediate mixture having a hydroxy group at the C-9 position to yield 10-deacetylbaccatin III and a second intermediate mixture of C-9 hydroxy taxanes; (4) protecting the hydroxy groups at the C-7 and C-10 positions of each taxane in the second intermediate mixture to yield a third intermediate mixture of C-7 and C-10 protected taxanes; (5) oxidizing the hydroxy group at the C-9 position of each taxane in the third intermediate mixture to yield a fourth intermediate mixture of C-9 oxidized taxanes; and (6) deprotecting the hydroxy groups at the C-7 and C-10 positions of each taxane in the fourth intermediate mixture to yield 10-deacetylbaccatin III.