Isolation by Means of Preparative Reversed-Phase Liquid Chromatography of Epimeric Alcohols Formed Upon Reduction of Pregnenolone and Progesterone

Abstract

A method is described which permits complete separation on a preparatory scale of the 20R and 20S epimeric alcohols obtained from lithium aluminium hydride and sodium borohydride reduction of pregnenolone and progesterone, respectively. The retention behaviour and resolution obtained on chromatography of the epimers on C-18 bonded phase material and elution with different acetonitrile/water and methanol/water mobile phases were studied. The order of retention is in both cases in accordance with ¹H-NMR chemical shift data which indicate a stable conformation with a more exposed 20-OH group in the 20S (=20α) epimer. Deviations from the elution order expected for true reversed-phase retention mechanisms were found on elution with mobile phase systems of reduced water content.