TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The inert gas is nitrogen. The first catalyst is N-chloro-succinimide. The second catalyst is formic acid or benzoic acid. The third catalyst is perchloric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid or acetic acid. The fourth catalyst is magnesium chloride. The fifth catalyst is sodium sulfite, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, or potassium carbonate. The oxidant is potassium permanganate. The solvent is pyridine or dimethyl formamide.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Process: Prednisolone acetate and solvent are placed in a reaction vessel containing inert gas, the first catalyst is added, sulfur dioxide is introduced and the mixture is stirred for 0.5-2 hours at 0-10?o C. Addition of hydrochloric acid with stirring, standing for 3-5 hours and drying produced a compound of formula (II). Compound (II) and acetone are placed in a reaction vessel and cooled to 1-5?oC, followed by addition of the second catalyst and an oxidant and stirring an aqueous solution of sodium sulfite for 5-15 minutes, increasing the pH to 6-7, heating to 30-40?oC for 20-40 minutes, filtering the reaction mixture, diluting with ice water, centrifuging and drying to obtain a compound of formula (III). Compound (III) and acetone are placed into a reaction vessel at 10-15?oC, followed by addition of a third catalyst and stirring for 3-5 hours. Then, sodium sulfite aqueous solution is added until the pH is 6-7, folllowed by heating and concentrating by centrifugation with water and drying to obtain a compound of formula (IV). Compound (IV), the fourth catalyst and methanol are stirred in a reaction vessel and cooled to 5-10?oC, followed by addition of sodium borohydride and reaction for 1-3 hours. Glacial acetic acid is added to adjust the pH to 6-7 and the reaction vessel mixture is concentrated, filtered, washed with water until neutral and dried to give a compound of formula (V) Compound (V) and methanol are placed in a reaction vessel at 30-50?oC. The fifth catalyst is added under inert gas protection and reacted for 40-50 minutes, followed by addition of glacial acetic acid to adjust the pH to 6-7, filtering, washing washing with water and drying to give desonide.