Two diastereomeric crystalline steroid dimers were obtained by acid-catalyzed double acetalization of (20S)-5αpregnan-3β,16β,20-triol 3-monoacetate with terephtalaldehyde. These compounds were characterized by NMR in solution, MS, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and variable-temperature solid-state NMR by 13 C cross-polarization magic angle spinning (CPMAS). While the phenylene rotator in the SR diastereomer remains static even at 373 K, the RR isomer shows a slow rotational process of the phenylene ring at temperatures above room temperature and thus may be considered the first crystalline steroid molecular rotor without the alkyne axle. Article pubs.acs.org/joc
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