SYNTHESIS AND STRUCTURE OF A STEGANE FROM DIMETHYLMATAIRESINOL

Oxidative coupling of dimethylmatairesinol with thallium tristrifluoroacetate (prepared in situ from thallium(III) oxide and trifluoroacetic acid) and boron trifluoride etherate gives a high yield of an isostegane which has been isomerized thermally to a stegane. Stereochemical assignments have been confirmed by X-ray diffraction studies.