2-methyl steroids and process

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A 2-LOWER-ALKYL-11OXYGENATED- 17A-HYDROXY-4-PREGNENE-3,20-DIONE WHICH COMPRISES: TREATING A 2-LOWER-ALKYL-11-OXYGENATED17A,21-DIHYDROXY-4-PREGENE-3,20-DIONE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF 2-LOWER-ALKYL-11B,17A,21-TRIHYDROXY-4-PREGENE-3,20-DIONE, 2-LOWER-ALKYL17A,21-DIHYDROXY-4-PREGENE,-3,11,20-TRIONE, 2LOWER-ALKYL-9A-HALO-11B,17A,21-TRIHYDROXY-4PREGENE-3,20-DIONE, 2-LOWER-ALKYL-.A-HALO17A,21DIHYDROXY-4-PREGENE-3,11,20-TRIONE WHEREIN THE HALO ATOM HAS AN ATOMIC WEIGHT BETWEEN 17 AND 131 AND THE LOWER-ALKYL RADICAL CONTAINS FROM ONE TO EIGHT CARBON ATOMS, INCLUSIVE, WITH AN ORGANIC ACID SULFONYL CHLORIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF TOLUENESULFONYL CHLORIDE, BENZENESULFONYL CHLORIDE, METHANESULFONYL CHLORIDE, NAPHTHYLSULFONYL CHLORIDE TO GIVE THE CORRESPONDING 11-OXYGENATED-2-LOWER-ALKYL-17A,-HYDROXY-21-ORGANIC ACID SULFONYLOXY-4-PREGNENE-3,20-DIONE; HEATING THE THUS OBTAINED 11-OXYGENATED 2-LOWER-ALKYL-17A-HYDROXY-21ORGANIC ACID SULFONYLOXY-4-PREGNENE-3,20-DIONE IN ACETONE SOLUTION WITH ALKALI IODIDE TO OBTAIN THE CORRESPONDING 11-OXYGENATED 2-LOWER-ALKYL-17A-HYDROXY-21-IODO-4-PREGNENE-3,20-DIONE AND TREATING THE THUS OBTAINED 21-IODO STEROID WITH A REDUCING AGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTINF OF ZINC DUST AND ACETIC ACID, AN ALKALI METAL THIOSULFATE, AN ALKALI METAL SULFITE AND AN ALKALI METAL HYDROSULFITE TO GIVE THE CORRESPONDING 11-OXYGENATED 2LOWER-ALKYL-17A-HYDROXY-4-PREGNENE-3,20-DIONE.