Patent ID: 6841665

Claim:
A method of producing mostly 5β,6β-epoxides of steroids from Δ 5 -unsaturated steroids by an epoxidation reaction using a ketone and an oxidizing agent under conditions effective to generate epoxides, wherein said ketone is selected from compounds of generic formula I, R 1 or R 4 in formula (I) is selected from alkyl, halogenated alkyl, aryl, OR v (where R v =H, alkyl or aryl), OCOR v (where R v =H, alkyl or aryl), OCOOR y (where R y =alkyl or aryl), OCOOCH 2 R z (where R z=aryl), OCONR u R v (where R u or R v =H, alkyl or aryl), OSiR w R x R y (where R w , R x or R y =alkyl or aryl), and halogen; R 2 or R 3 in formula (I) is selected from H, alkyl, halogenated alkyl, aryl, OR v (where R v =H, alkyl or aryl), OCOR v (where R v =H, alkyl or aryl), OCOOR y (where R y =alkyl or aryl), OCOOCH 2 R z (where R z =aryl), OCONR u R v (where R u or R v =H, alkyl or aryl), OSiR w R x R y (where R w , R x or R y =alkyl or aryl), and halogen; R 5 , R 6 , R 7 or R 8 in formula (I) is selected from H, alkyl, halogenated alkyl, aryl, COOR v (where R v =H, alkyl or aryl), and CONR u R v (where R u or R v =H, alkyl or aryl); R 9 or R 10 in formula (I) is selected from alkyl, halogenated alkyl, and aryl; and A in formula (I) is selected from halogen, OTf, BF 4 , OAc, NO 3 , BPh 4 , PF 6 , and SbF 6 .