The methyl ester of 3E,28-diacetoxy-(20R)-lupan-29-oic acid was synthesized and its molecular structure was determined.Keywords: betulin, oxidation, 3E,28-diacetoxy-(20R)-lupan-29-oic acid, x-ray structure analysis.Oxidation is an effective method for modifying the isopropenyl group of lupane-type triterpenoids. The reaction of lupane derivatives with ozone and dimethyldioxirane has been studied [1,2]. It was shown that oxidation of betulin and its acetates by Cr(VI) oxide produced derivatives with keto-and carboxylic groups [3][4][5][6]. Thus, the formation of epimeric C20-acids from the reaction of betulin diacetate (1) with CrO 3 in acetic acid at 70°C was reported [5]. On the other hand, the product from the reaction of 1 with CrO 3 was purported to be a norketone (2) [6]. Herein data on the product composition from the oxidation of 1 by CrO 3 in refluxing acetic acid and an x-ray structure analysis (XSA) of one of the acids as the methyl ester are reported.The reaction of 1 and CrO 3 in acetic acid at 100°C for 3 h produced a mixture of the norketone (2) and two epimeric acids (3 and 4), which were isolated pure using column chromatography in yields of 50, 20, and 15%, respectively (Scheme 1). NMR spectra of 3 and 4 were identical. The structure of ketone 2 was confirmed previously by an XSA [7]. Methylation of acid 3 by diazomethane solution gave ester 5. An XSA established its molecular and crystal structure (Fig. 1). All six-membered rings had the chair conformation. The five-membered ring had a slightly distorted envelope conformation. This is usually observed for such compounds [8]. The absolute configuration of 5 was determined from the retention of configuration of the chiral atoms during the reaction (Fig. 1). This suggested that C20 had the R-configuration. According to the XSA of 5, it can be concluded that acids 3 and 4 were the 20R and 20S-epimers.Thus, the structure of the methyl ester of 3E,28-diacetoxy-(20R)-lupan-29-oic acid was determined. Pure (20R)-and (20S)-lupane acids are interesting as a platform for synthesizing triterpenoid derivatives at the C3, C28, and C29 positions.