NOVELTY - Preparing 1-benzo(b)thiophen-3-yl-ethanone compound (VII), comprises reacting benzo(b)thiophene compound (VI) with keto compound (V), in the presence of a Lewis acid and a solvent.    USE - The process is useful for preparing 1-benzo(b)thiophen-3-yl-ethanone compounds. (IIIa), (IVa), (VIIaa) and (X1a), a crystalline solvate form of a salt of (XI) are useful for preparing an active agent, which is raloxifene or its salt (all claimed).    ADVANTAGE - In the process: the amount of Lewis acid as a catalyst of the Friedel-Crafts acylation is significantly reduced compared to conventional Friedel-Crafts conditions, hence acylation of (VI) or (VIa) can be carried out under mild reaction conditions, which provides for a stable and reliably process (as the cleavage of the OR1 moieties is avoided owing to the significantly reduced amount of Friedel-Crafts catalyst), high yields, high purity and less require efforts for purifying the product, and is cost-effective due to substantial saving of Lewis acid catalyst. The process: is environmental friendly, as it utilizes toluene, which has a high boiling point and is much less hazardous to health and the the acylation of toluene as the solvent is avoided, compared to conventional Friedel-Crafts acylation conditions, where halocarbons (dichloroethane or methylene chloride) are used as the solvent, which are hazardous to health and exhibit low boiling points.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Preparing 1-benzo(b)thiophen-3-yl-ethanone compound of formula (VII), comprises reacting benzo(b)thiophene compound of formula (VI) with keto compound of formula (X-C(=O)-R7) (V), in the presence of a Lewis acid and a solvent.    R1 = hydroxy protecting group;    R6 = alkyl, aryl or arylalkyl (all optionally substituted by -OR1);    R7 = alkyl, aryl or arylalkyl (all optionally substituted by OR2);    R2 = hydroxy protecting group different from R1, where R1 and R2 are independently from each other selectively removable; and    X = Cl, Br, I or -O-C(=O)-R7.    Provided that both -OR1, and -OR2 are substantially not cleavable in the presence of a Lewis acid at Friedel-Crafts acylation conditions. INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are also included for:    (1) a substituted phenyl ester sulfonyl compound of formula (IIIa);    (2) a 4-methanesulfonyloxy-benzoic acid, 4-(toluene-4-sulfonyloxy)-benzoic acid or 4-benzenesulfonyloxy-benzoic acid (IVa);    (3) a methanesulfonic acid 4-(6-methoxy-2-(4-methoxy-phenyl)-benzo(b)thiophene-3-carbonyl)-phenyl ester, toluene-4-sulfonic acid 4-(6-methoxy-2-(4-methoxy-phenyl)-benzo(b)thiophene-3-carbonyl)-phenyl ester or benzenesulfonic acid 4-(6-methoxy-2-(4-methoxy-phenyl)-benzo(b)thiophene-3-carbonyl)-phenyl ester (VIIaa);    (4) a 1-(2-(4-(6-methoxy-2-(4-methoxy-phenyl)-benzo(b)thiophene-3-carbonyl)-phenoxy)-ethyl)-piperidinium bromide (X1a);    (5) a process for preparing raloxifene or a pharmaceutical composition containing raloxifene or its salt, comprising: providing phenyl-(2-phenyl-benzo(b)thiophen-3-yl)-methanone compound of formula (VIIa) by a process; converting (VIIa) to (4-hydroxy-phenyl)-(2-phenyl-benzo(b)thiophen-3-yl)-methanone compound of formula (VIII) by a process; converting (VIII) to phenyl-(2-phenyl-benzo(b)thiophen-3-yl)-methanone compound of formula (XX) or optionally their salt, by a process (where R3 is 2-piperidin-1-yl-ethyl); and converting (XX) or its salt to (6-hydroxy-2-(4-hydroxy-phenyl)-benzo(b)thiophen-3-yl)-phenyl-methanone compound of formula (XI) to obtain raloxifene or its salt; and optionally mixing the raloxifene or its salt with at least one excipient;    (6) a process for preparing a crystalline solvate form of a salt of (XI), comprising: either providing a free base or a salt of (XI), dissolving the compound provided in a mixture of the first solvent and the second solvent, optionally distilling off a part of the volume of the mixture of the first solvent and second solvent, optionally seeding the mixture resulting from the above step to induce crystallization, allowing a solvate form of a salt of (XI) to precipitate or to crystallize, optionally under agitation and separating the crystalline solvate form of a salt of (XI); or providing a salt or a free base of (XX), deprotecting the -OR1 and OR2, groups of the salt of (XX) in the presence of a second solvent in order to convert (X) into (XI), adding a first solvent to a reaction mixture obtain from above step, heating the reaction mixture resulting from above step, cooling and optionally agitating the reaction mixture resulting from above step, and separating the solvate form of a salt of (XI), where a first solvent and a second solvent different from the first solvent is incorporated in the solvate form of the salt of (XI) such that a common solvate is formed;    (7) a crystalline solvate form of a 1-(2-(4-(6-hydroxy-2-(4-hydroxy-phenyl)-benzo(b)thiophene-3-carbonyl)-phenoxy)-ethyl)-piperidinium compound of formula (XIa), where the crystalline solvate form comprises a first solvent and a second solvent; and    (8) a process for preparing a non-solvated salt of (XI), comprising: providing a crystalline solvate form of a salt of (XI); dissolving the crystalline solvate form in an organic solvent, where the organic solvent forms an azeotrope with at least one solvent incorporated in the solvate form; optionally seeding the mixture to induce crystallization; allowing the salt of (XI) to precipitate or to crystallize; and separating the salt of (XI).    R8 = methyl or ethyl;    R9 = methyl, para-toluene or phenyl;    R3 = alkyl, aryl, alkylaryl (all optionally substituted) or -(CH2)x-N(R4)(R5);    x = 1-20, preferably 2; either    R4, R5 = alkyl, aryl, alkylaryl (all optionally substituted); or    NR4R5 = part of 5-10 membered ring, preferably 6-membered ring; and    A- = deprotonated form of an organic or inorganic acid, which is oxalate, succinate, lactate, malonate, Cl-, Br- SO42-, preferably Br-.    Provided that -OR3 is substantially not cleavable at deprotection conditions for removal of R1.