Quote Originally Posted by Archetypical Hybrid (HEC)
A

TIDBIT:

A steroid chemist once enlightened me: all pheromones on the market come from dinosaurs.. Strange,

but true, as the tetracyclic (Rings A,B,C,D) lipid intermediates used as starting reagents are derived or made from

petroleum distillates / derivatives. So remember to thank the velociraptor for your bottle(s) of

pheromones!
Not usually.

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.