Vibrational spectra of the organometallic estrogen‐receptor marker [3‐ O ‐(3‐hydroxypropyl)‐17β‐estradiol]‐α‐tricarbonylchromium(0) and related compounds

The IR, micro‐Raman and Fourier transform (FT) Raman spectra of 3‐ O ‐(3‐hydroxypropyl)‐17β‐estradiol and the two (α and β) diastereomers, produced by coordination of a Cr(CO) 3 moiety to the arene A ring of the steroid, are presented. The three compounds exhibit spectra typical of arene hormonal steroids and the α‐ and β‐diastereomers can be readily distinguished from one another, especially by their FT‐Raman spectra in the CO stretching region which, unlike the corresponding micro‐Raman data, are not significantly masked by the presence of strong fluorescence backgrounds. This distinction is important since the α‐diastereomer is a useful IR estrogen‐receptor marker, whereas the β‐diastereomer is not.