Introduction to Steroid Chemistry

Introduction to Steroid Chemistry is a six-chapter introductory text of the analysis, conformation, and production of steroids. After providing a brief overview of steroid chemistry, this book goes on discussing the application of physical methods to the analysis of structural and stereochemical correlations in steroids, such as UV, infrared, NMR, and mass spectroscopy, optical rotary dispersion, and circular dichroism. The subsequent two chapters describe the influence of steroid conformation and molecular rearrangements on reactions rates and reaction products. The remaining chapters explore the improvements in the synthesis of the estrogenic hormones and the biosynthetic pathways and metabolism of cholesterol. This book will be of value to general and organic chemists, biochemists, and research workers in related subjects.