Method and compounds are provided for use in the synthesis of steroids wherein a polyolefin is provided having an initiating group having a chalcogen atom in juxtaposition to a double bond, so as to be capable of bond formation to close to form a ring and having a terminating group involving pi unsaturation (a double or triple bond) conjugated to an aromatic ring. Upon acid catalysis, sigma bonds are formed through the interaction of a carbocation formed at the carbon atom bonded to the chalcogen atom and the double bond intermediate the initiating group and the terminating group, which close to form rings of a steroid nucleus, the carbocation interacting with the pi unsaturation conjugated with the aromatic group and being captured by a nucleophile present in the acidic reaction medium. The resulting steroid product may then be modified in known ways to produce known steroids.