Diethylstilbestrol, trans-|á,|?-diethyl-4,4-stilbendiol (28.1.34), is proposed
to be synthesized in various ways. According to one of them, desoxyansoine is alkylated
by ethyl iodide in the presence of sodium ethoxide, and the resulting ketone (28.1.30)
is reacted in a Grignard reaction with ethylmagnesium bromide, which forms the carbinol
(28.1.31). Dehydration of this compound by distillation in the presence of p-toluenesulfonic
acid gives dimethyl ether of stilbestrol (28.1.32), methyl groups of which are
removed by heating it at high temperatures with potassium hydroxide, thus forming
diethylstilbestrol (28.1.33).