This invention provides non-steroidal estrogen receptor ligands having a modular structure that is amenable to solid phase synthesis and the application of combinatorial synthetic methods to prepare these estrogen receptor ligands. ER ligands of this invention consist of a core scaffold that is a carbocyclic or heterocyclic-5-member ring that has two double bonds or a 6-member aromatic ring. A plurality of selected substituents are bonded to the ring substantially independently of other substituents. The modular structure of these compounds allows for synthesis of a very large numer of substituent structural variations, substituent combinations and substituent positioning on the core. The structural variants of the ER ligands of this invention exhibit a spectrum of selective affinities for ER alpha and ER beta and a spectrum of agonist/antagonist properties.
