1{60 -hydroxycholecalciferol

Claim 1

A method of preparing 1 Alpha -hydroxycholecalciferol which comprises: converting cholesterol into its 6-keto derivative forming a ketal from the said 6-keto derivative oxidizing the said ketal and converting the oxidized product through the 2-bromo derivative into the Delta 1 compound 6-ethylenedioxy-1-cholestan-3-one epoxidizing the said Delta 1 compound under basic conditions, reducing the epoxidized compound with lithium aluminum hydride and recovering as a mixture, 6-ethylenedioxy-cholestan-1 Alpha 3( Alpha , Beta )- diol removing the ketal function from the said diols to give the corresponding 6-keto compounds acetylating both hydroxyls in the said 6-keto compounds and separating the 3 Alpha and the 3 Beta isomer treating the 3 Beta isomer with sodium borohydride to reduce the keto function and recovering 5 Alpha -cholestan-1 Alpha ,3 Beta -diacetoxy-6-ol eliminating the hydroxyl group from the said alcohol via treatment with phosphorous oxychloride subjecting the resulting compound to allylic bromination followed by treatment with trimethyl phosphite and recovering 1 Alpha ,3 Beta -diacetoxy-cholestan-5,7-diene irradiating the said 5,7-diene with ultraviolet light and recovering 1 Alpha ,3 Beta -diacetoxy-previtamin D3 allowing the said previtamin to spontaneously convert to 1 Alpha ,3 Beta -diacetoxy vitamin D3 by standing in solution at room temperature and in the dark for a time sufficient to accomplish the said conversion and recovering the said vitamin D3 compound hydrolyzing the said vitamin D3 compound under basic conditions and recovering 1 Alpha -hydroxycholecalciferol