Abstract The reactions of variously substituted benzyl chlorides with n-butyllithium in tetrahydrofuran at low temperatures (− 100) leads to the formation of the correspondingly substituted α-chlorobibenzyl (1, 2-diarylchloroethane) in good-to-excellent yields. The corresponding symmetrically substituted stilbenes are readily formed in good yields by thermal dehydrochlorination of the α-chlorobibenzyl.