Direct Cu-Catalyzed Allylic Acetoxylation of Δ5-Steroids at 7-Position

The efficiency and selectivity of Cu-catalyzed allylic acetoxylation of alkene in different solvent systems is improved by the presence of different metallic salts in the reaction medium. The methodology is particularly well employed for the direct allylic acetoxylation of Delta(5)-steroids at 7-position, for which the resulting acetoxylated product obtained was exclusively alpha-isomer. Excellent yield was achieved (up to 90%) under optimized conditions, while significantly reducing the costs and environmental hazards and increasing the yield as compared to the other previously reported methods.