Prenol

[1] It is also manufactured industrially by BASF (in Ludwigshafen, Germany) and by Kuraray (in Asia) as an intermediate to pharmaceuticals and aroma compounds.

They also play a major role in protecting cellular membranes, stabilising cell proteins and supporting the body's immune system.

Prenol is polymerized by dehydration reactions; when there are at least five isoprene units (n in the above formula is greater than or equal to five), the polymer is called a polyprenol.

They are important in the acylation of proteins, carotenoids, and fat-soluble vitamins A, E and K. Polyprenols also play a vital role in cell metabolism.

The pharmacological activity of polyprenols is based on their substitutive effect in the case of dolichol deficits which are observed with chronic inflammatory, degenerative and oncological diseases.

Skeletal formula of prenol
Skeletal formula of prenol
Ball-and-stick model
Ball-and-stick model
The reaction of isobutene with formaldehyde to give isoprenol, the first step in the industrial manufacture of prenol
The reaction of isobutene with formaldehyde to give isoprenol, the first step in the industrial manufacture of prenol
The isomerization of isoprenol to prenol, the second step in the industrial manufacture of prenol
The isomerization of isoprenol to prenol, the second step in the industrial manufacture of prenol