title: Synthesis and chiroptical properties of arylimines of cholest-4-ene-3,6-dione.
abstract: In the hope of generating a new class of materials with large optical rotations, various arylamines were condensed with cholest-4-ene-3,6-dione (2) to give 3-arylimino steroids. These compounds possess moderately high specific rotations ([α](D) ~300-800) and strong circular dichroism. One such derivative, 3-(4-methoxyphenylimino)cholest-4-en-6-one (3), crystallizes as the (E)-imine and upon dissolution undergoes mutarotation to an equilibrium mixture of (E)- and (Z)-isomers with a half-life of approximately 1 h at room temperature, as judged by both NMR spectroscopy and polarimetry.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118, USA.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Geng
authors.forename: Joel T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Mague
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Pascal