In a search for the carcinogenic metabolite of diethylstilbestrol, the interactions of 4',4"-diethylstilbestrol quinone with peptides and nucleic acids were investigated. Nonextractable binding of 4',4"-diethylstilbestrol quinone to calf thymus DNA or poly G were observed. However, adduct nucleosides could not be isolated subsequent to enzymatic digestion of nucleic acids. Binding to dGMP or dAMP also occurred, but the initially bound stilbene estrogen could mostly be extracted with 18 extractions using various organic solvents. Non-covalent interactions of 4',4"-diethylstilbestrol quinone with calf thymus DNA were observed spectrally only after exhaustive dialysis of the DNA versus water, but not with native DNA. In chemical reactions of 4',4"-diethylstilbestrol quinone and nucleosides, nucleotides, and amines such as n-pentyl amine, only Z,Z-dienestrol could be identified as reaction product. The quinone did react with mercaptoethanol via Michael addition to the unsaturated carbonyl system to form a stable adduct, 4-(2-hydroxyethylthio)-3,4-di(p-hydroxyphenyl)-2-hexene. It also reacted covalently with sulfur-containing peptides such as reduced glutathione or bovine serum albumin. Partially purified rat liver cytochrome P-450 reductase reduced 4',4"-diethylstilbestrol quinone to E- and Z-diethylstilbestrol. It is proposed that 4',4"-diethylstilbestrol quinone forms unstable adduct intermediates with DNA which decompose with time. Also, covalent binding of 4',4"-diethylstilbestrol quinone to important proteins via thioether linkages may play a role in carcinogenesis.