Conjugate 1,4-addition of 1-[(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy]-2methyl-1,3-cyclohexadiene (5) to 2-methylcyclopentenone in highly polar media and subsequent alkylation of the resultant silyl enol ether (4) with phenylthiodienyl carbonate 10 in 5.0 M LiClO4. Et2O provides substrate 2. Exposure of 2 to TMSOTf/ TMSOCH2CH2OTMS affords tetracyclic bis-ketal 3, which is converted into (+/-)-adrenosterone (1) in four steps. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.