hexestrol

Odorless, white, crystalline powder; soluble in ether, acetone, alcohol, and methanol; practically insoluble in water; sensitive to light.

Medicine (estrogenic hormone).

Hexestrol is used for the same indications as estrone. It is also used for prostate cancer or its hypertrophy in men.

A nonsteroid, synthetic estrogen.

Hexestrol, 4,4
-(1,2-diethylethylene)diphenol (28.1.29), is a derivative of |á,|?- diphenylethane, and it is a synthetic estrogen. Hexestrol is made in a Wurtz dimerization reaction of 1-bromo-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)propane (28.1.27) in the presence of sodium, magnesium, aluminum, or iron. The initial 1-bromo-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)propane (28.1.27) is made in turn by addition reaction of hydrogen bromide to 4-methoxy-1- propenylbenzene. Subsequent removal of the methoxy protective groups from the resulting dimerization product (28.1.28) using hydroiodic acid gives hexestrol (28.1.29).