Facile preparations of cholesta-8, 24-dien-3β-ol, zymosterol (1__-) and the related 7, 24-diene (2__-), 5, 7, 24-triene (3__-) and 8, 14, 24-triene (4__-), all of which are potential intermediates of cholesterol or ergosterol biosynthesis, are described.
