The oxidation of A-nor-58-cholestan-3-one with peracids gave 4-osa-58-cholestan-3-one. This was identical with one of the two lactones produced by the reductiorl of \Vindausl lceto acid: the other lactone must be 4-oxa-5a-cholestan-3-one. The two lactones were reduced by lithiulll aluminum hydride to diols, which were cyclized to 4-oxa-5a-and -58-cholestane.Turner (1) obtained by catalytic 1-eductiol~ of Winclaus' lceto acid (I) (2) two Iactones, 1n.p. 109.5°-1100 C and 11G0-11B.50 C, the foriner in larger a~n o u n t . I-Ie tentatively assigned to these compounds the structures V and VI, rcspcctively, because of their optical rotations and because hg~drogenation ot 4-osacholest-3-e1~-3-01~c, which should be expected to give VI, gave the highel-~nelting T ' ~s o~n e r .Further evidence for these structures comes from a con side ratio^^ of thcir nlolecular rotations (3) including the cliffercnces between the molecular rotations of the lactones ancl oi the amides (I1 or 111, It = K I I J or hydrazicles (I1 or 111, R = i' i\;I-1x1-I?), which are, CIS s h o~~ 11 in Table I , in the directions preclicted by the IClyne-I-Iudson "lactone rule" (3). Finally, unequivocal proof comes froin the Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of Windaus norlcetone (IV), which is lino~vn t o have the cis ring juncture shown (4). With peracetic acid this afkords the lactone ~vith the lower ~lleltiilg point. The Baeyer-Villiger reaction proceeds with retention of configuration of migrating optic