Abstract Treatment of 18β-glycyrrhizic acid with a methanolic solution of HCl resulted in 1: 1 mixture of methyl esters of 18α-and 18β-glycyrrhetinic acids. Benzoylation of the mixture led to methyl esters of 3-benzoyl-18α-glycyrrhetinic acid and 3-benzoyl-18β-glycyrrhetinic acid, which were separated by chromatography on silica gel. 18α-Glycyrrhetinic acid was prepared by alkaline hydrolysis of methyl 3-benzoyl-18α-glycyrrhetinate and was further ...
