The synthesis of novel cardenolides, closely related to naturally-occurring cardiotonic agents, is described. They were obtained from 17p- [3-furyl]androstanes derived from digitoxigenin, gitoxigenin, digoxigenin, and strophanthidin by hypohalous acid or organic peracid oxidation. The preparation of !3-D-and a-L-glycosidic derivatives is also reported.On a synthttise de nouveaux agents cardiotoniques, isomeres des cardenolides naturels. 11s ont tte obtenus par I'oxidation a l'aide de l'acide hypohaleux ou des peracides organiques de [3-furylI-17!3 androstanes, derives de la digitoxigenine, la digoxigenine, la gitoxigenine et la strophanthidine. Des dtrives B-D-et a-L-glycosidiques sont aussi decrits.Can. J. Chem.,52. 1652(1974) As part of a program aimed to improve the therapeutic ratio of cardiotonic agents, we prepared novel i~ocardenolides,~ which possessed all the characteristics of the natural cardenolides except for the location of the 0x0 group of the 5-membered lactone (3). In addition, 21-hydroxydigitoxigenin was also synthesized.When 17P-[3-furyl]-5p-androstane-3P, 14P-diol 3-acetate (26) was treated with a hypohalo~~s acid in aqueous dioxane, lactones 3a and 4 were isolated. The ma-ior product was 3a when 1 equiv. of the oxidant was used, while a larger excess of the reagent (2 equiv.) afforded mainly lactone 4. The structures were ascertained by spectral analyses (see Experimental). Furthermore, the aldehyde 4 was converted to the acid 5 and to the corresponding saturated lactone-aldehyde 6 by reducing the ene-dione system with zinc and acetic acid. Finally, 30 and 4 were both oxidized with potassium permanganate to the well-known ( 5 ) a-ketolactone 7. This constit~~tes an unanibig~~ous proof of the 17P-stereocheniistry of lactone 3u (Scheme 1).Scheme 2 illustrates a likely mechanism for the formation of 3a and 4. Initially an electrophilic attack of X + of the hypohalous acid on the lesshindered side of the furan ring, concerted with a n~~cleophilic addition of OH-, affords 9. Eliniination of HX, followed by rearrangement of the re-'For Parts I and I1 see refs. l a and b. 'This work was presented in part at the 6th International Symposi~~m on the Chemistry of N a t~~r a l Products, Mexico, April 22, 1969 (20).30ther types of isocardenolides and modified butenolides have been reported in the literature (4). suiting hydroxyfuran 10, yields 3a. In a competitive pathway further oxidation of 9 gives the bromolactone4 11, which is converted into 4 by an internal attack of the 14-hydroxyl on the carboxyl group with concomitant elimination of HX.The fury1 derivatives (2) were in general obtained by diisobutylaluminum hydride reduction of the natural cardenolides (1) (6). A n alternative process for the preparation of 2a was also used. Reduction of digitoxigenin l a with an excess diisobutylalumin~~m hydride afforded the diol 8, which was oxidized to 2a with 1 equiv. triethylamine -sulfur trioxide complex (7) (Scheme I). In this last process the key step involves the formation of an unstable lactol 13, w...