This investigation was undertakeii lo determine whether the cholanthrene synthesis of Fieser and Seligman2 can be employed for the preparation of cholanthrene derivatives containing substituents other than alkyl groups, and, in case such compounds should be found to withstand the rather drastic pyrolysis involved in the final step, to synthesize by this method certain $ substituted methylcholanthrenes (sterol numbering systemzb). We were ...