Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of estrone

Palladium catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of estrone allow for the synthesis of a variety of substituted steroids which are not readily available by other methods. Products include various alkynylated and arylated estrones and 13α-estrones, 16-arylmethylidene-3-O-methylestrones and 16-alkynylmethylidene-3-O-methylestrones. Reactions usually proceed with excellent chemo- and regioselectivity and exhibit a broad functional group tolerance. In several cases, the estrone derivatives prepared proved to be active and selective inhibitors of alkaline phosphatases or exhibited considerable antiproliferative activities.