Terpenoids and Related Compounds: XVII1Conversion of Crategolic Acid to Olean-12-en-2α,3β-diol.

Crategolic (Maslinic) acid (Ia) has been converted to olean-12-en-2\(\propto\),3β-diacetoxy-28-al (le) by Rosenmund reduction of the acid chloride (Id) and by reductive desulphurisation of the berizylthiol ester (Ih). The aldehyde (Ie) has been reduced by Huang-Minlon's method to the hitherto unknown olean-12-en-2\(\propto\),3β-diol-(If).