Written by J.A Dobado | Last Updated on September 15, 2025
What is Prins reaction?
The Prins reaction is the acid-catalyzed addition of olefins to formaldehyde to give 1,3-diols, allylic alcohols or meta-dioxanes. The reaction was named after the Dutch chemist Hendrik Johannes Prins (1889-1958), who studied the reaction in greater detail in the 1919.
References
- H.J. Prins, “Condensation of formaldehyde with some unsaturated compounds” Chem. Weekblad, 16, 64-74 (1919)
- H.J. Prins, Chem. Weekblad, 16, 1072-1073 (1919)
- H.J. Prins, Chem. Weekblad, 16, 1510-1526 (1919)
Full Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Granada, with a long-standing research career in Computational Chemistry and molecular modeling and design.