“…This method has been proposed to obtain terminal double bonds from carboxylic acids [ 32 ], and has been used for the degradation of bile acid side chains [ 33 ], synthesis of BR analogs [ 14 , 15 , 17 ], and specifically for decarboxylation of the side chain of hyodeoxycholic acid ( 4 ) and derivatives [ 34 , 35 ]. Alternatively, the carboxylic degradation reaction may be carried out using PhI(OAc) 2 /CuSO 4 system [ 13 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ]. Hyodeoxycholic acid ( 4 ) is a common starting material because it is easily available, and it has been previously used to synthesize a number of BR analogs.…”