Reversed phase high performance liquid chromatographic separation of hydroxy steroidal unsaturated esters and their hemisuccinates.

Abstract

The high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) separation and identification of 12 isomeric and/or highly chemically related steroids with an unsaturated ester moiety at position 17 beta has been achieved. The main stereochemical features of the steroid skeleton cover 3 alpha/beta, 5 alpha/beta or delta, and 20 E/Z, bearing the alcohol or hemisuccinate group at the 3 position. The isocratic reversed phase C18 HPLC separation employed ethanol, methanol and its mixtures with water or 0.01 M phosphoric acid as the mobile phase. The best separation of the respective alcohols from their hemisuccinates has been achieved with 20% of aqueous phase content. The best separation among isomeric or related steroids has been achieved with methanol:water 8:2 and 85:15 and similar systems containing phosphoric acid.