A new facile synthesis of steroid dimers containing 17,17′-dicarboxamide spacers

A set of new steroid dimers linked through ring D–ring D were synthesized via catalytic diaminocarbonylation of 17-iodo-5α-androst-16-ene, in the presence of palladium–phosphine in situ catalysts and aliphatic or aromatic diamines as N-nucleophiles. The dimeric steroidal compounds containing 17,17′-dicarboxamide spacers were obtained through highly chemoselective reactions in good isolated yields and completely characterized by spectroscopic techniques.