Heptamethyl cobyrinate was transformed into hexamethyl 8-nor-cobyrinate. The crucial step involved the synthesis of new, vitamin B12 derived cobryketone via palladium-catalyzed cleavage of the sp(3)-sp(3) carbon-carbon bond with the liberation of the ketone. The replacement of sp(3) carbon atom with sp(2) (C═O) at the 8-position produces a bathochromic shift of all absorption bands and makes α and β bands equal as a consequence of the expansion of the existing conjugated system of double bonds.
