Not usually.Originally Posted by Archetypical Hybrid (HEC)
The typical starting material for steroid synthesis is a tuber from
Mexico, the cabeza de negro yam.
This vegetable yields a sapogenin called diosgenin, which is the typical
starting material for commercial steroid synthesis. Since it is a "plant steroid" it is much easier to use this
compound than to start with anything simpler. There are fewer steps in the reaction, it's cheaper, and the purities
are higher.
It may be possible to start with petroleum distillates, but since these are much further from
the desired end product, it would be more complicated and expensive, and is not typically done.
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