The final steps from the common corrinoid intermediate E-37/HE-44 to cobyric acid E-44/HE-51 were carried out by the two groups collaboratively and in parallel, the ETH group working with material produced by the A/D approach, and the Harvard group with that from the A/B approach. What the two groups in fact accomplished thus were the common final steps of two different syntheses.
The tasks in this end phase of the project were the regioselective introduction of methyl groups at the two meso positions C-5 and C-15 of E-37/HE-44, followed by conversion of all its peripheral carboxyl functions into primary amide groups, excepting that in side chain f at ring D, which had to end up as free carboxyl. These conceptually simple finishing steps turned out to be rather complex in execution, including unforeseen pitfalls like a dramatic loss of precious synthetic material in the so-called "Black Friday" (July 9, 1971).