New steroid-fused P-heterocycles: Part I. Synthesis and conformational study of dioxaphosphorino[16,17-d]estrone derivatives

D-ring-fused dioxaphosphorinanes (4–6) in the estrone series were synthetized as epimeric pairs and investigated by NMR and computational methods in order to determine their stereostructures and predominant conformations. The study was performed to evaluate the influence of the rigid sterane framework on the geometry of the condensed hetero ring, with regard to the possible steric effect of the angular methyl group at position 13. Additionally, the steric and electronic effects of the P-substituents on the conformational equilibrium were examined. The distorted-boat conformation of the hetero ring of dioxaphosphorinoestrone 3-methyl ether 4a was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray analysis. This is in good agreement with the observation in solution that, in the case of the boat conformation, the anisotropic shielding effect of the phenyl group of cyclic phosphonate 4a generates an upfield shift for 17-H, as compared with the corresponding chemical shift for epimer 4b. A similar boat conformation was substantiated for derivatives 4b, 5a, 5b and 6b on the basis of the J(H, H) and J(H, P) coupling constants and also ab initio calculations, regardless of the P-configuration. At the same time, the hetero ring of 6a seems to tilt towards a chair-like conformation due to the strong equatorial preference of the N-bis(2-chloroethyl) group.