The α-(hydroxymethyl)pyrroles 16a and 16b were prepared and shown to be cytotoxic against the P388 cancer cell line. Ethyl 5-hydroxymethyl-1H-pyrrole-2-carboxylate 18 was inactive, demonstrating that an α-(hydroxymethyl)pyrrole group alone is not sufficient for activity. Compound 16b has been shown to bind to DNA with reasonable affinity.