Simple and efficient production of (Z)-4-hydroxytamoxifen, a potent estrogen receptor modulator.

A McMurry coupling reaction and selective crystallization were used to develop a simple and efficient two-step synthesis of (Z)-4-hydroxytamoxifen (2a). This compound is an active metabolite of tamoxifen, a selective estrogen receptor (ER) modulator widely used to treat breast cancer. The synthesis employed 1,1-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-phenylbut-1-ene (1) as a useful building block.