The present invention provides an industrially advantageous process for producing a steroid C
17,20
lyase inhibitor represented by the general formula (I);
and a Reformatsky reagent in a stable form suitable for the process.
In the present invention, a compound represented by the general formula (I) is produced by reducing a specific β-hydroxy ester compound derivative or a salt thereof obtained from a specific carbonyl compound in a Reformatsky reaction in the presence of a metal hydride complex and a metal halide, and then subjecting it to a ring-closing reaction. In the above Reformatsky reaction, it is useful to use a stable solution of a compound represented by the general formula BrZnCH
2
COOC
2
H
5
or a crystal of the compound which is represented by the formula (BrZnCH
2
COOC
2
H
5
.THF)
2
.
本发明提供了一种工业上有利的制备类
固醇C17,20裂解酶
抑制剂的方法,其通式表示为(I);以及适用于该方法的稳定形式的Reformatsky试剂。在本发明中,通过在
金属
氢化物复合物和
金属卤化物的存在下还原从特定羰基化合物获得的特定β-羟基酯化合物衍
生物或其盐,然后将其进行环合反应,从而制备出通式(I)所表示的化合物。在上述的Reformatsky反应中,使用通式为BrZnCH2COOC2H5的化合物的稳定溶液或者通式为(BrZnCH2COOC2H5.THF)2的化合物的晶体是有用的。