The synthetic hapten 11 alpha-hemisuccinylprogesterone (11 alpha-hemisuccinyl-pregn-4-ene-3,20-dione), when linked to the appropriate macromolecular carrier, has been used successfully as a solid-phase antigen for progesterone detection in immunoassay. In this study the synthesis of 11 alpha-hemisuccinylprogesterone from 11 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone has been improved by using 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP in refluxing dioxane, a highly nucleophilic polar solvent.