Ionic liquids as solvents were used effectively in palladium catalysed aminocarbonylation of 17-iodo-5α- androst-16-ene (1) with L-amino acid esters. Interestingly, optimal conditions that are essential for the successful reuse of the ionic liquid/catalyst mixture differ greatly from those observed in the similar reaction with simple secondary amines as nucleophiles.
Keywords: Aminocarbonylation, palladium, amino acid esters, ionic liquids, alkenyl iodide