Biography

Jesús Romo Armería, Mexican organic chemist (Aguascalientes 09 October 1922 – Ciudad de Mexico 14 May 1977)

Authored 156 works

ACHIEVEMENTS

Performed the first chemical synthesis of steroidal compounds

Isolated and determined structurally a great variety of substances from Mexican flora

With C. Djerassi isolated cuauchicine, a diterpenoid alkaloid from Garrya laurifolia (1954)

Isolated helenine, a sesquiterpenic lactone

Developed a method to obtain female hormones estradiol and progesterone from Dioscorea sp.

With G. Rosenkranz developed a method for aromatization of rings of cholesterol series compounds (1950-1)

With C. Djerassi, G. Rosenkranz, S. Kaufmann & J. Pataki. Steroids VII. Contribution to the bromination of ∆4 3-ketosteroids and a new partial synthesis of natural estrogens. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 72:4534, 1950 

With C. Djerassi, G. Rosenkranz, S. Kaufmann & J. Pataki. Steroids VIII. The dienone-phenol rearrangement in the steroid series. Synthesis of a new class of estrogens. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 72:4540, 1950

With G. Rosenkranz & F. Sondheimer. Steroids LXXXVIII. A new synthesis of desoxycorticosterone acetate and of 16-dehydro-desoxycorticosterone acetate. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 79:5034, 1957

Described Romo de Vivar transformation, a reaction of transformation involving a 2-acetoxy-brominated compound into a 2-hydroxy-acetylated compound

With A. Romo de Vivar. Some experiments with 16 β-bromo-17 α-acetoxy-20 ketosteroids. Synthesis of 16 α-17α-dihydroxysteroids and related compounds. J. Org. Chem. 21:902-9, 1956  

Foreign Patents

16 alpha-hydroxymethyl-progesterone and derivatives US2992217A (1961)

With M.F. Sondheimer, G. Rosenkranz & C. Djerassi. Process for the production of cyclopentanophenanthrene compounds US3014031A (1959)

With G. Rosenkranz. 7 dehydrodiosgenin compounds and process for making same US2867616A (1959)

With C. Djerassi, G. Rosenkranz, S. Kaufmann & J. Pataki. 1-methyl equilenin compounds and process for making it US2991294A (1957)

With C. Djerassi, G. Rosenkranz, S. Kaufmann & J. Pataki. Production of ring α-aromatic steroids US3020294A (1955)

With G. Rosenkranz, G. Stork & C. Djerassi. Allopregnane 3-beta, 11-alpha, 20-beta triols and process US2712027A (1955)

With C. Djerassi, G. Rosenkranz, S. Kaufmann & J. Pataki. delta-7-allopregnene compounds US2924596A (1954)

With G. Rosenkranz & S. Kaufman. Production of 3-enol thioesthers and esters of testosterone CA506183A (1954)

With C. Djerassi, G. Rosenkranz, S. Kaufmann & J. Pataki. 1-methyl estratrienes US2791592A (1954)

With G. Rosenkranz, G. Stork & C. Djerassi. Spirostan-3-ol-20-one prepared by hydrogenation of the 3,11-dione CA498231A (1953)

With C. Djerassi, G. Rosenkranz, S. Kaufmann & J. Pataki. Cyclopentanophenanthrene compounds and process US2702297A (1952)

With C. Djerassi, G. Rosenkranz, S. Kaufmann & J. Pataki. Process for the preparation of A7,9(11) and A5,7,9(11)-allospirostadien-or-allospirostratien-3-ϐ-ols DE921694C (1951)

With C. Djerassi. Steroid sulfoxides US2698854A (1951)

With G. Rosenkranz. 16-thiobenzyl pregnenes and process US2697108A (1951)

With G. Rosenkranz. Process for the preparation of esters of steroid sapogenins with a 3-oxygroup and a spiroketal  side chain in the 16,17 position. DE882548C (1951)

With C. Djerassi, G. Rosenkranz, S. Kaufmann & J. Pataki. 1-methyl-delta-dehydroestrogens and process US2671092A (1950)

With C. Djerassi, G. Rosenkranz, S. Kaufmann & J. Pataki. Process for producing steroid trienes US2705237A (1950)

With G. Rosenkranz. Process for producing testosterone US2609378A (1948)

HONOURS

Nobel Chemistry Prize nominee (1974)