Synthetic oestrogenic compounds related to stilbene and diphenylethane. Part I

The present investigation is a natural combination of two converging lines of development. In the first place the oestrogenic activity of some quite simple compounds was noted and efforts were made to modify the structures in the hope of increasing their potency. Among these substances the following may be mentioned: 1-keto-1 : 2 : 3 : 4-Tetrahydrophenanthrene (Cook, Dodds, Hewett and Lawson 1934); 4 : 4’-Dihydroxydiphenyl; p-n-Propylphenol; p-Hydroxybutyrophenone (Dodds and Lawson 1938); 4 : 4’-Dihydroxydiphenylethane and 4 : 4’-Dihydroxystilbene (Dodds and Lawson 1937; Dodds, Fitzgerald and Lawson 1937).